Maneuver
by butterflyKISSU
Summary: Syaoran Li needs a bride - but he got more than he bargained for in Sakura Kinomoto, who has a dark but sexy secret. Can Syaoran resist this flower, who has certain plans for him too? -- Co-written with "swallowingtears" ! SxS...Rated M for a reason!
1. Chapter 1: The Corps

**DISCLAIMER: We do NOT own the characters mentioned in this fic. Anything recognizable belongs to the amazing artists CLAMP. We simply own the pervy ideas and our pervy minds who created said ideas XDD**

**Enjoy!**

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**Maneuver**

_Chapter One – The Corps

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_

Syaoran Li stood in front of his desk behind which his mother sat, a cold and serious look on her elegant face. His hands were behind his back as he stood up tall and straight; formally.

His mother, Yelan Li, sat with her hands folded neatly on the desk. She looked into her son's eyes with disappointment, "Syaoran, what is this? What is wrong with Miss Mei Ling? She was smart, pretty, loyal, good family...She would have made an honourable wife."

_And horrible in bed, _Syaoran added silently._ Can't have a wife who's totally selfish in bed._

_When he'd taken Mei Ling into bed, he'd been eager; she was quite beautiful. But then once she was naked she suddenly began acting like a shy little virgin. Syaoran knew why: she wanted to play coy and hard to get; okay, he could work with that._

"_No, Syaoran…please, I'm embarrassed." She covered her breasts and crossed her legs. "Don't, please…"_

_Okay, she wanted to play virgin. He didn't mind. "Come on baby," he coaxed. He began to lick her neck, and she shuddered in pleasure. Good, Syaoran thought. He played with her breasts, teasing the nipples in the way women liked it; she should be worth all this work, he thought._

_He continued fondling her breasts, then managed to get his fingers on her womanhood. She sucked her breath in and he felt her getting wet. He parted her legs, and licked her; she came quickly._

_Her gasps of pleasure told him she was enjoying it; he ignored the protests of "Please don't!" and "No, Syaoran, I'm begging you not to—I'm so embarrassed…OH YES!"_

_Selfish bitch. But she had such a great body, so he persisted. Then…_

"_No…Please, I can't…we're not married…"_

_He rolled his eyes. What the hell did that matter? And the M word made him lose a little control over his erection—it wilted a bit._

_He leaned back and fondled himself. "Come on—return the favor," he coaxed, pushing Mei Ling's head towards his erect penis. "Lick me."_

_The look of horror on her face destroyed his appetite for her completely and totally. "How could you?" she cried, and Syaoran swore he could see tears in her eyes. "How can you ask me to do such a disgusting thing?"_

"_It's just a blowjob," Syaoran said exasperatedly. "Tit for tat!"_

_She kept shaking her head. Fine, he thought. But he wasn't about to waste a perfectly good meal. He could at least get /some/ pleasure from this, right? Or at least, he thought, until he ended up doing all the work. All the foreplay was his—so he slid her legs apart and penetrated her._

_Her cries of pleasure told him she was enjoying it—he wasn't. She scratched his back and thrust back hard into him as she came, screaming, "FUCK YES!" Definitely not a virgin, he thought wryly. By the time she had come -- and it was quickly done -- he pulled himself out and finished himself off in the shower. HE could do a better job getting himself of than she could, it was __**that**__ bad a fuck._

Oh yes, he knew his mother was angry with him. Furious, actually. He was turning thirty soon and still not married. He had dated Mei Ling for nearly a year now, and had known his mother hoped he'd put a ring on her. But the girl was boring him already — she wouldn't let him into her bed until last month, and that one episode was enough to kill his appetite for her.

Just like all the other women in his past. All of them wanted too much from him. Why couldn't women just—enjoy themselves with him without demanding money or jewelry or marriage—all of the above, in fact?

Yelan raised an eyebrow, obviously waiting for her answer. Syaoran shrugged and told the truth bluntly, "I got bored with her. Couldn't stand her, really."

"Got bored? Couldn't stand her?" Yelan's face slowly grew red in rage. She stood and slammed her fist on the table. "Damn it, Syaoran! Do you want the company to be taken from you? From us?!"

Syaoran was shocked by her outburst, but didn't let it show through his careful mask. She never spoke to him like that. But, again, he merely shrugged, "I don't know what you're talk – "

She slammed her fists on the desktop again and again Syaoran didn't so much as flinch. "The contract, Syaoran! If you aren't wedded before your thirtieth birthday, we will lose this company. It will no longer be in your name or that of our family."

Syaoran kept himself from frowning. He vaguely remembered signing that contract on his eighteenth birthday, when he had inherited the Li Building Corp. But that rule was so old fashioned. Surely the elders wouldn't still abide by them?

Yelan didn't wait for any response from him. "And you know what will happen when that takes place?"

He didn't blink, "You will take over the company again?"

She laughed coldly. "No, Syaoran, I **won't**. It took everything I had to convince the elders to allow me to run the company _for you_ for so many years after your father died. They despised the idea of a woman running the company. They most certainly won't let me do it again.

"No," she continued coldly, "they plan on giving the company to the Kinomotos."

For the briefest of moments, Syaoran's mask dropped, showing his shock and rage. He quickly shielded his emotions, however, and let his blood simmer beneath his mask.

Yelan Li calmly explained that the Kinomoto company and the Li company were once united under "Clow Reed Construction" over a hundred years ago. When a problem arose over whether the Kinomoto partner or the Li partner would take over, the companies had been split by Clow Reed, with the proviso that all company heads should be married by 30.

"That's ridiculous!"

"But it is the terms of the will and the contract. Ridiculous as it may sound every leader has abided by it," Yelan said.

Syaoran fumed. The 'Kinomoto Building&Design' was his primary rival. His only true threat, in fact. How could the elders be so cruel?! The company, his company, had been in the Li family for generations. And now they were going to simply throw it all away simply because he wasn't married?! It was the twenty-first century for Christ's sake!

He clenched his jaw, "That won't happen, Mother. I won't let it."

"How?!" She raised an eyebrow. "You have six months before your thirtieth birthday, so pray tell, my son, how you will accomplish this?"

Silence. Outside, the pre-Christmas snow fell gently over their garden, the tranquility of the scene a stark contrast to the chaos in Syaoran's insides.

A sudden dark glint appeared in his eyes and a cold, crooked grin broke through his mask. "Don't worry. I just will. I promise."

Without waiting for his mother to question him again, he spun around and left the office. He slammed the door shut behind him. From the corner of his eye, he saw a man with dark navy hair and round glasses jump away from the wall and fall in step beside him.

"What are you going to do, Syaoran?" The man asked nervously, obviously having heard the conversation Syaoran had had with Yelan. When Syaoran shrugged, the man rolled his eyes. "Cut the crap. I know you already have a plan forming, so spill."

The evil grin reappeared on Syaoran's face. "Eriol, my friend, I'm going to marry the Kinomoto daughter. The slut, Sakura Kinomoto."

**x.X.x**

Sakura Kinomoto felt a hand rest on her thigh and sighed angrily, shifting her leg away from the unwanted touch.

"Aww, c'mon sweetheart," the man beside her cajoled. He had to yell over the loud music of the club. "Don't be like that."

Sakura ignored him and continued to sip at her apple martini. The man stayed for another moment, then cursed and left her. She didn't let down her guard, though, which was good, since not even a minute later, two hands were on her hips and a mouth was by her ear.

"Hey, pretty," his hot breath cascaded along her skin. "Want to get out of here?"

Sakura shifted out of his touch, finished her martini in one gulp, and left him without an answer. She could feel him following her and only wished he'd let her be. That, of course, did not happen.

She stopped in front of a young woman swaying her hips against a man's pelvis. He was gripping her hips tightly and gently grinding himself into her from behind. The girl was laughing, enjoying it, as her lavender hair swayed to the beat.

"Tomoyo, I'm going home!" Sakura screamed over the noise of the nearby blaring speaker.

The woman's violet eyes flew open, the colourful strobe-lights bright against her pale skin. "Aww, Sakura! We just got here! Stay!"

Sakura shook her head, "No, I want to go home. You can stay here. I'll see you tomorrow."

The man grinding himself into Tomoyo leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She giggled and turned to Sakura, "Okay, sweetie...I'll call you tomorrow."

Sakura hurried out of the club, ignoring the cat-calls and ass-grabs men gave her as she passed by. She quickly reached her red BMW and shoved the key into the lock, when someone grabbed her hips and rammed themselves into her behind. She gasped, feeling something hard press up against her lower back. Though honestly, she should have been expecting _someone_ to follow her, even to outside.

Hot breath fanned along her neck, "Thank god you decided to go. I thought I was going to die. So, your place or mine?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and shook herself out of his grasp. She opened her car door and slammed it shut once inside. The man looked hopeful as he rushed to the other side of the car. She quickly locked the doors and started the engine. The roar of the machine made him jump away surprised.

Sakura pushed her foot down on the gas pedal and bolted from the parking lot. She blasted her music as she drove home. It didn't take long her for to arrive at her grand house – practically a mansion – as she parked in her garage. As soon as her key slid into the front door's lock, small barks and yips flooded her ears. She smiled and opened the door.

A small Pomeranian jumped onto her leg, whimpering for some attention. Sakura smiled, closed the door, and knelt down to stoke the dog's golden fur.

"Hey'ya Kero, miss me?" She asked with a smile.

As if answering her, he barked and twirled around in a circle. Sakura giggled and stood back up. She made her way to the kitchen, Kero jumping around her legs, nearly tripping her twice. She picked up two stainless-steel bowls from the floor and a grabbed the small bag of Wellness dog food from a cupboard. She filled both bowls with food and returned them to the floor. Kero yipped happily and stuffed his muzzle into the bowl.

Sakura giggled again and shook her head – she swore the dog only loved her because she fed him – then moved into the living room. On the black leather couch lay a ball of fur, pure white in colour. She approached it and scratched its ears. It mewed and curled up tighter, not wanting to be disturbed.

"Well hello to you too, Yue," she said sarcastically. "I missed you too."

The white Persian turned his head to look at her, lazily licked her hand, then closed his eyes for sleep again.

Sakura sighed and left the room. As she passed the kitchen, she could hear Kero still eating. She smiled; that dog sure did have an appetite.

She rushed upstairs and slipped into her large, elegant bedroom. She shed her provocative clothing – a short jean skirt and low scooped green shirt – and changed into a clean satin sleeping gown. She grimaced at her dirty clothes; not that they weren't nice, but they showed far too much skin. Tomoyo picked all her clothes though. In fact, Tomoyo made all her clothes. And so, Sakura never really had the heart to say no to her. Still, she hated dressing like such a slut.

Oh no, Sakura was not the woman everyone thought she was. Not the woman men hoped and dreamed she was. Contrary to her clothes, she didn't flow that way. She never slept with random guys like her best friend Tomoyo did.

In fact, no man had even touched her. She was still pure in that aspect.

Yes, she had had boyfriends before. Five, in fact, which she considered quite good for her young age of twenty-one. However, they all ended up being scumbags. They either wanted A) to get in her pants, or B) her money, or C) both. After the last boyfriend when she was nineteen, she had refused any dates. She was too busy with her family's company, she told herself.

She slipped on the matching satin kimono to her gown and strolled down the hall toward her home office.

Her office was her pride and glory. It had two huge bay windows with long black curtains. The back wall opposite the windows had been turned into one huge bookshelf. The walls were all painted a dark but soft mauve and the floor was cherry wood. Her desk matched the floor, and the desk chair matched the chocolate-brown leather couch on the opposite wall. On the desk were the usual accoutrements: a photo, a lamp, some folders and papers, and a laptop.

She sat at her desk and smiled at the photo sitting there in a small silver frame. There were four people in the picture; two adults, a child and an infant. There was a woman with long lavender hair and bright green eyes, who held a baby girl of perhaps six months of age. The baby had a little head of auburn hair. Beside the woman was a man with wispy auburn hair and warm eyes behind large glasses. On his shoulders was a boy of about seven with small but happy eyes and short dark hair.

"Good evening, mom and dad," Sakura greeted her parents smiling photo, a smile playing on her own face.

Sakura flipped open her laptop and turned it on. She was the current CEO of Kinomoto Building&Design, but she wasn't planning on working at one in the morning.

Whoever said a virgin couldn't be 'hot n' bothered'? She often was, with all the men trying to feel her up – though it was disgusting to be touched by random strangers, so she shuddered. What she wanted was to be desired—but by the right man. He could touch and feel her all he liked—if he was the right guy.

But the idea of touching herself was not something she had thought about. And watching porn was a huge no for her—a friend had shown her a gross tape in high school. How could a woman enjoy getting no pleasure? She served simply to give blowjobs to three men, who then used her mouth, vagina, and ass to get off. She wasn't even a human to them, just a hole. How people could degrade themselves by either watching that kind of worthless thing or being in one was a wonder for her.

She had never heard of the better kinds of erotica—not pornography. She had no idea she would soon discover the joys of such things—touching herself with a lover, seeing erotica, and more.

No, Sakura had her own way to deal with her lust. She opened up a folder labelled 'Flower Design'. The name kept others at bay, as it was generic and could go with any work from the company. In that folder was ten to fifteen documents. She clicked **NEW** and a clean, blank page popped up.

 With inspiration, she began to type up her newest fantasy.

_I lay on my stomach on a towel by the pool, suntanning. My skimpy bikini top is untied. My eyes are closed._

_Suddenly, something cold touches my bare back. I gasp, and roll onto my back, exposing myself. There, a man with bronze hair and blue eyes is kneeling beside me. He wears his board-shorts low, allowing me to see his v-shaped muscle that leads to his goods. In his hand, he holds a bright pink popsicle, and I realize that is what touched me._

_With a devilish grin, he leans forward and runs the melting treat around my belly button. I gasp and throw myself back down onto the towel. He removes my bikini completely and runs the cold, sticky popsicle up along my skin and toward my now heaving chest. Then, he begins to circle one pink bud—a nipple gone hard. I gasp as it quickly pebbles. Then he takes that hardened pink bead into his warm mouth. The contrast between the cold summer treat and his mouth is amazing and I groan loudly. _

_Next thing I know, my bottoms are gone and my legs are spread. He is between my legs and begins encircling my clit with the popsicle. I thrash around as I feel it melting, the sticky syrup running down my lower-lips. He removes the torturous treat and begins lapping at the mixture of the syrup and my own juices. The warm contrast is, again, amazing and I groan loudly once more._

_When I come, he shakes his head as I try to return the favor by stroking his erection. No, his eyes say, this is for you. I remember how I woke him up this morning with a slow feasting on his hard shaft, and refused to let him counter-stimulate me. This is the sweet repayment of the sensual debt. Instead, he removes his board trunks and crawls above me. He kisses me slowly, passionately, as he thrusts inside me._

_When we come, we do so together. I feel him shudder above me before exploding inside me. He pulls out and peppers my face with light kisses, still holding me close._

_After a moment, he drapes an extra towel on me and lays down beside me. He pulls me close to him, cradling me, holding me like I'm something special in a way I can only be to him._

"_I love you," he whispers to me before we both fall asleep._

Feeling satisfied and wearing a large grin, Sakura clicked 'save as' and saved it as _popsicle_. She turned off the computer and headed back to bed.

Why did she prefer to write these things and reread them?

Because Sakura did not want to lower herself to the level of a a slut or whore. She had her own way to deal with these over-powerful emotions of wanting a man without actually jumping into sex. To her, sex was sacred. It was special—something dictated by emotion And she wanted to give it to someone precious to her.

She crawled into bed, alone – always alone – and fell asleep to a world much different from her own.

She smiled in her sleep — because something would happen soon, a situation she'd created to help her achieve what she wanted — what she needed.

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**Authors Note: Thanks for checking this out!! As mentioned, this story will be co-written with swallowingtears! So please send your love to her, too ^.^**

**Updates will be when they can be. We'll TRY and update quick, but...have you ever tried trying to be online the same time as someone living on the other side of the world? Quite difficult XDD**

**Please leave a review! And, if you can/want, go under my profile and click her profile to send your love onto Mei-chan as well ^.^**

**_xox...Meiling and Rika_**


	2. Chapter 2: Virgin Margaritas

**Maneuver:**_  
Chapter Two – Virgin Margarita

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Syaoran paced his office furiously. When his door opened and Eriol walked in, a smirk lit up Syaoran's face.

"Did you find anything?" he asked, eyeing the brown folder Eriol carried.

Eriol shifted nervously, holding the folder closer to him. "Look, I'm not sure this is such a great idea. She's practically just a girl – "

"Don't," Syaoran stopped him. "The Kinomoto girl is not _practically just a girl_. Her family is just as powerful as mine. Besides, I've heard quite the stories about lil' Sakura. And from that, I'd say it'll be pretty easy to bed her. And from there...I'll force her to marry me."

"But if she already knows you're a Li – "

"She won't," he reassured him. "Mother has never allowed my photo to be in the media, for security reasons. Unless she's met me, she doesn't know what I look like – and I'm quite sure we've never met."

"But why her?" Eriol asked cautiously. "I thought she was your enemy, running the rival company and all…"

"She certainly is," Syaoran agreed, smirking even more. "Haven't you ever heard of the saying 'keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer'? It's like that. Besides, this way I can steal the Kinomoto company right from under her nose. Once married, it'll be mine. I'm the man, after all. It'll be all too easy to take over her company and make it my own. Now, give me what you found."

Eriol sighed loudly and opened his folder. "Sakura Kinomoto. Born April first, current age – twenty-one. Her mother, Nadeshiko Kinomoto, nee Amamiya, died when she was only three of some illness she contracted while she was in Africa. The nature of the illness was never disclosed. When Sakura was eighteen, her father, Fujitaka Kinomoto, was killed by a sudden earthquake during a routine mission trip to build a small school house in Peru. Her elder brother, Touya Kinomoto, was supposed to have taken over the company but refused the position – no information is available on the reason. She's been CEO since she was nineteen, having taking a year for training."

"That's all family related," Syaoran mused. "Anything else? Anything outside the company?"

Eriol turned through the pages in the folder, quickly scanning them over. "Well, she volunteers at the children's hospital on Wednesday evenings and the animal shelter on Friday afternoons."

"Close connections?"

"Tomoyo Daidouji, owner of her own clothing store and company called Flower Field. They seem to be close friends, having been sighted together at the larger clubs in the area," Eriol read off. "But besides that, she really doesn't seem to go out with anyone else. A lot of her time seems to be spent doing community service – "

"Yeah, yeah," Syaoran waved his hand in dismissal. "Is that all? Or is there anything else I need to know?"

Eriol pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it over to Syaoran. Syaoran skimmed it over, grinning, as Eriol continued to explain its purpose. "That's a schedule I've made from reports and witnesses. It seems she visits certain bars on certain nights." He paused, shifting uncomfortably as his eyes moved downcast, "I don't agree with this, _Li_. You can have any girl you want. Why can't you just leave the Kinomoto girl alone?"

"If I didn't know better, Eriol, I'd say you were already bedding the girl," Syaoran sneered, earning a glare from Eriol. Eriol opened his mouth to argue; his eyes flamed with anger, but Syaoran quickly cut him off, "Oh, relax – it was a joke! But going back to your comments...Hmm..." he tapped his finger to his chin, as if thinking, then shook his head and grinned wickedly, "Nope! Not going to happen. Now, please call Yamazaki and have my car ready tonight. I'm going clubbing."

Eriol's fist clenched, but he bit his tongue to prevent him from saying anything. He gave a jerky nod before turning around and leaving Syaoran's office.

Syaoran watched him leave then looked back down at the papers in his hand. "Looks like I'm going to _Illusion _tonight. Sakura Kinomoto...prepare to meet your future husband," he gloated.

**x.X.x**

Sakura sat on the edge of her bed, bored out of her mind as Tomoyo continued to tell her all about the guy she had hooked up with the previous night. In all honesty, Sakura really didn't want to hear about any of it. But she smiled and nodded where acceptable, pretending to be interested.

"...And _oh my god_, Sakura, the things he does with his tongue!" She gave a small groan and closed her eyes, allowing Sakura to roll hers. "I came, like, three times with his tongue alone! He was a god!"

Sakura smiled politely, "So is he meeting us at Illusion tonight?"

"Heavens, no!" Tomoyo laughed, shaking her head. "He was yummy...but it's not like we exchanged phone numbers or something. What kind of girl do you think I am?"

Sakura scoffed, though that only made Tomoyo giggle again. "And let me guess...you didn't get his number because you're afraid of being tied down if a 'yummier' man happens to come along tonight?"

"Bingo!" Tomoyo sang out.

"Tomoyo!" Sakura gently scolded. "How can you keep doing this? Giving your body to any man who wants it – which is most everyone, from what I've seen. That isn't right! When are you going to stop this and settle down?"

"Oh Sakura, stop being such a prude!" Tomoyo shot back angrily. "Maybe getting into bed with some random man you never have to speak to again may do you some good. Twenty-one and a virgin...That's kind of sad in a way, don't you think?"

Sakura's cheeks tinged pink, "I-I think sex should be something shared between two lovers, not strangers. Nothing's wrong with that." She glared at her friend for a moment, then sighed loudly and looked away. "Look, let's not argue. It's pointless. Why don't you help me pick out something to wear so we can get down to the bar, alright? It's Margarita Monday – don't want to miss that!"

Tomoyo grinned at her, then bounced off Sakura's bed and rushed toward the closet.

**x.X.x**

Two hours later, Tomoyo and Sakura were pulling into Illusion's parking lot. It was their favourite bar, out of the three they haunted. They went to Illusion every Monday and Saturday. Tuesdays was for _Sweet Fire _and Thursday was for _Arrow. _Wednesdays and Sundays were the days Sakura refused to go out and remained in.

They stepped out of Sakura's car and walked toward the entrance.

Sakura was dressed in a short, tight jean skirt and a slinky pink halter top. She wore strappy heals and light make-up. Tomoyo wore a violet tube-dress, a thick silver belt around her waist and matching silver flats. They didn't even make it to the door before the wolf-whistling began. By the time Sakura actually got inside, two men had already groped her ass.

_Pigs, _she thought in disgust.

_Why __**do**__ I do this?_ She mused about her schedule. She would sit at the bar, watch Tomoyo pick up some man, then be annoyed. Sakura hated these bars — and she sighed when she realized that if it weren't for Tomoyo, she'd rather be home watching TV or reading.

As soon as they got inside, Tomoyo was pulled away by a handsome muscular man, leaving Sakura alone. She sighed angrily as her friend giggled and allowed the man to pull her toward the dancefloor. Sakura made her way to the circular-shaped bar, taking a seat on one of the stools. She smiled up at the bartender. "Hey Daichi. How's it going tonight?"

"Not too shabby, Sakura," the man grinned. "What can I get'cha tonight?"

"The usual," Sakura shrugged. "I'm not really in the mood for something extravagant."

Daichi grinned, "One margarita, coming up then."

"Oh!" Sakura stopped him quickly before he could turn and make it. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "Can you make it a virgin? I don't want too much to drink tonight, if anything at all. I'm driving."

He winked, "You got it, sweetheart."

The man turned and left to make the drink. She smiled, watching him as he tossed the ice and lime-juice into the blender to start with. She had known Daichi for ages, as he was a close friend of her brother's. He would often come over while Touya was babysitting her. He, Touya and another one of their friends – Yukito – were often known as the 'terrible trio', causing horrible mischief through their school years. She looked upon him as another older brother, and he returned those sibling-like feelings.

She was watching him flirt with a girl sitting in front of the blender when someone a few seats away from Daichi caught her attention. It was a man, sitting directly across from her on the other side of the bar. Even in the darkness of the bar, she could see that he had dark, unruly hair. _Sex-hair_, Tomoyo would happily call it. His eyes were downcast, toward the bottle of beer in front of him. He wore a light coloured button down shirt, the top few buttons popped open to reveal smooth skin. She licked her lips, not aware of her actions.

As if sensing her gaze, his eyes shot up and he looked at her. His eyes — they were utterly beautiful; all she could tell at the distance was that they were a dark colour, and deep-set. Actually, all of him was beautiful — his shirt didn't hide his lightly-muscled body, his lips looked like they had been made to be kissed, and…_Stop it, Sakura!_ she scolded herself. This was ridiculous; she'd never picked a guy up at any bar, and now was not the time.

_Ah but there's always a first time,_ a naughty voice in her head trilled.

She immediately looked down, shifting uncomfortably. She didn't want to take the chance to look back up to see if he was still watching her or not.

She jumped when a glass was placed down in front of her, jerking her head up to see Daichi grinning crookedly at her. "Here ya go, Saks. Enjoy. I put extra sugar on your rim."

Sakura laughed and shook her head, "Thanks, Dai." She took a long sip of her drink, using her tongue to lick some of the sugar under her lips as she did. When she pulled it away, she sighed happily as the sourness hit her jaw; it was oddly refreshing. She smiled at the bartender, who had his arms resting on the bar waiting for her approval. She lifted her drink, "This is just what I needed. Thanks."

Daichi let out a low chuckle, "I'll never get you, Sakura. No alcohol and yet it's 'just what you needed'? Most people would go for the buzz when they need something."

"When do I ever make sense?" she winked.

"Right," he chuckled. He stood back up as someone called out for a refill, but turned back quickly before he left. "If any of the guys start becoming too much, tell me, 'kay?"

Sakura rolled her eyes; it was the same thing every week. "Yeah, sure. Thanks."

Seconds after Daichi had left, a hand touched her lower back, making Sakura tense. She could feel hot air – some alcohol-scented breath – by her ear.

"Hi sexy," a deep voice whispered to her. "Want to join me for a dance? Or perhaps…something else?"

Sakura quickly composed herself and put on a fake smile before turning around in her seat. It was still early on in her evening, so as usual, she would start off polite and smiley. "Oh, I'm sorry...I'm engaged."

The man behind her looked taken back. He quickly glanced down at her hand, which was resting on the bar, and smirked. He pointed, "I don't see a ring."

Sakura looked down and pretended to be confused, "Crap, I must have forgot it by the sink while I was moisturizing my hands. My mistake. But I am taken, so go find yourself another girl."

The man's eyes flickered with anger. His hand shot out and grasped her wrist, making her wince. He leaned forward and Sakura scrunched up her nose, smelling the beer in his breath.

"You lying bitch," the man spat. "I don't like being lied to, you whore – "

Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against a strong, hard body. A pair of soft lips brushed against her cheek, making her whimper. She wanted to scream; _why couldn't they just leave her alone?!_ For one night! Did she send out the vibe of wanting to go off for a good fucking?...No!

She was shocked by what happened next.

"Play along," a soothing, velvet voice whispered softly in her ear. She tensed, feeling a shudder wanting to roll down her spine. That voice! Few men's voices affected her that way — like she wanted to close her eyes and have him talk dirty to her…

Why am I feeling this way about some stranger? She looked up to see the man she had been eyeing before beside her. He gave her a sexy grin, then turned to the man who was still clutching her wrist against the bar.

"Is there a problem here?" The man with the unruly dark hair who was holding Sakura, asked.

The other man's eyes narrowed angrily, "Yeah, this girl here is a lying piece of crap."

"That lying piece of crap, as you so eloquently," and Sakura almost grinned; the sarcasm was that thick, "put it, is my fiancee," the man snapped, making Sakura's eyes widen. "So if you be so kind as to let her go, it'd be much appreciated."

They glared at one another for a moment, before the rough man let go of her wrist and marched away angrily, cussing under his breath. When he was gone, Sakura let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She turned to the man beside her, who was still holding her, his warm, strong arms wrapped around her, and giggled nervously. "You can, umm...let go of me now."

But he didn't let go. Instead, he tightened his hold on her, making Sakura stiffen. Before she could tell him off, he leaned down and said softly in her ear, "I would, but I think you'd be safer if I kept my arm here. Have you not seen how many men have been eye-fucking you since you've walked in?"

Sakura felt her face grow hot, with both embarrassment and anger. "Thanks, but I can take care of myself, Mr...?"

"Syaoran," the man said quickly as he took a seat on the bar stool beside her. "Syaoran…Sugiyama."

"Okay then, Mr. Sugiyama...I can take perfect care of myself," Sakura said a bit short. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but to no avail. "Now, if you'll..._ugh!_...excuse me...Wait!" She suddenly stopped to glare at him, "Wait, how did you know I had told the guy I was engaged?"

Syaoran frowned, "Pardon?"

"I told that leech I was engaged," Sakura explained with narrowed eyes. "And then you showed up and claimed to be my fiancee. How did you know?"

Syaoran grinned, "I was sort of...watching you...from my seat across the bar. I saw the man look at your hand and point, so I figured you had told him you were engaged. Why else would he be looking for something on your hand? Figured he was looking for a ring."

"Erm," Sakura tinged pink and looked away. Well, that was sort of embarrassing...this guy had been watching her. "Well, thanks...I suppose. Now please let me go. I think our little charade is done now." When he didn't, she shot him another glare and growled, "Let go of me, Mr. Sugiyama...before I call the bartender over here and report your behaviour."

Syaoran unwound his arm from around her and held up his arms in surrender. "Just trying to look out for you. I would bet not a single man in here isn't thinking about screwing your brains out."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "And are you one of these men, Mr. Sugiyama?"

"First, please call me Syaoran. Mr Sugiyama doesn't sound...right," Syaoran grimaced. "And second... No, I wouldn't count myself in that group. I, unlike those animals, know how to treat a woman properly. I don't fuck. I make love, and only to women who matter to me."

He grinned at her and Sakura rolled her eyes, "Sure. Like I haven't heard that one before."

Syaoran seemed to ignore the last comment. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Sakura quickly stood up, shaking her head. She pulled out some bills from her skirt pocket and placed it under her half-empty glass. "No, thanks. I should get going."

Syaoran quickly stood as well, "Then let me at least walk you out."

"I don't think that's necessary..."

"Please," she looked up to see his large amber eyes pleading with her. "Just let me do this. I'd feel a lot better knowing you were properly walked out and safe. Just give me that, please?"

Sakura frowned, then brought her bottom lip nervously in between her teeth. After a moment, she gave a loud sigh and gave in. "Fine. I suppose that'd be...alright. Thanks."

Syaoran didn't touch her, but followed close behind as they made their way toward the exit. Sakura caught a quick sight of Tomoyo, who was looking at her in awe. The girl seemed to wink at her, before returning to the music. She led Syaoran to her car, stopping outside of it to lean back against the door.

"I..." she sighed and smiled gratefully. "Sorry I was so rude, just...Yeah, um, thanks..."

Syaoran smiled crookedly, making Sakura's knees weak. She mentally scolded herself – she had never felt this way for a man. But his face was just too perfect, just too handsome. How could one not go weak in the knees with that face? And she hadn't even started on the body; she didn't trust her treacherous eyes not to stare too hard at him.

"It was no problem," he smiled gently. "I'd hate to learn that something had happened to any woman, especially one as beautiful as yourself."

Sakura's cheeks flamed red as she looked down with a timid smile. Then, while his words echoed in her mind, they settled in. And not comfortably. She shot a glance back up, giving him a tiny glare. "And I suppose, for 'keeping me safe' and all, you'll want some sort of reward? Like a kiss or...something?"

The man grinned crookedly, making her weaker. She had to look away as he spoke, his seductive voice ringing in her ears. "Or...something?"

She sighed, shooting her eyes back up toward his face. "Look, I don't...give...**that** kind of thanks, alright? So why don't we just go on our ways – "

"But I want to claim my thanks," Syaoran pouted slightly. And Sakura couldn't help but notice how cute it was.

"I don't..."

He suddenly grasped her hand and brought it up to his lips, laying a soft yet firm kiss to the back of her hand. Sakura gasped, her eyes widening as she watched him do the sweet gesture. Her mind was screaming at her to pull her hand away, but she couldn't. It felt...nice. Different, from the regular grabs and groping men usually tried to pull on her.

He slowly stood back up, looking her in the eye. His own eyes sparkled happily, though he didn't drop her hand. Softly, he whispered, "I'd ask for your number, but I suppose you wouldn't give it to me?"

_Yes I will!_ "N-No...sorry."

He smiled, "Fair enough. I can only guess that we'll meet again."

"And why would that be?" Sakura asked warily.

He made sure to hold her gaze, and she had to swallow a gasp at seeing the intensity of it. "Because, I think we could have a chance together. I thought that as soon as I laid eyes on you. And if that's true...Well, we'll certainly meet again then."

Sakura blushed furiously as he gently let go of her hand and turned to walk away, heading over to the opposite end of the parking lot. He was only a few paces away when he suddenly stopped and turned around. "But...Do you think I could at least get your name?"

Sakura bit her lower lip nervously, knowing what she was about to do wasn't normal for her. Despite this, however, she smiled timidly and responded. "Sakura."

"Sakura. Thank you." He smiled a brilliant smile then grinned and nodded. He watched until she started the car, then turned and walked towards what Sakura presumed was his own car.

**x.X.x**

"Hello, Sakura Kinomoto spea – " Sakura answered her cell as she sat on her bed, wearing a silk robe and painting her toe-nails. Between each toe was a cotton ball which ensured no peach-pink nail-polish accidently rubbed off on her toes.

"Hope I'm not interrupting…something," Sakura groaned at hearing Tomoyo's 'ohohoho' giggling.

She put the bottle of varnish down on her bed side table and flopped back into her bed, laying down. "No, Tomoyo...of course not."

"Oh?" Tomoyo pouted. "Nothing?"

"Of course not!" Sakura scoffed.

"Well..." Tomoyo hedged, "Did you at least get that hottie's number?"

"Hottie?" Sakura questioned. "What...?" She suddenly stopped, closing her eyes to groan irritably again. "You mean Syaoran?"

Tomoyo squealed, "Ohhh! So you know his name? Now you just need his number." She paused, then asked in a more demanding voice, "You **did** get his number, right?"

Sakura hesitated, "Well...."

"Oh, Sakura," Tomoyo sighed angrily. "What are we going to do with you? That guy was totally into you! So..." Sakura prepared herself, holding the phone at arm's length as Tomoyo began to scream, "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU GET HIS NUMBER?!"

Sakura sighed, "Just drop it, Tomoyo. It's fine. It's just a guy."

_Yeah right_, the naughty voice in her head teased. _Just the guy who's been haunting your thoughts ever since you got home. _

Tomoyo groaned, "You need to get laid, girl. And that guy was hot, with a double 't'. No, with a 'w'!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at Tomoyo's odd lingo, "Whatever Tomoyo...I have to go. I have some work I need to do before going to sleep."

"Yeah, because that's all you do," Tomoyo huffed, continuing before Sakura could argue. "Okay hun, well...good night. I'm staying at the bar for another hour or so. I think J.D here is going to take me – "

Sakura hung up before Tomoyo could finish.

Damn it, did she have to be reminded of Syaoran over and over?

Stop it, she told herself sternly. Just because he wasn't a pig means nothing.

**x.X.x**

An hour later, she was typing away her frustrations, fiddling with the scene from Illusion's parking lot...

"_I'd like to take you home," Syaoran says to me._

_I look into his amber eyes — I only noticed they were amber in the light outside the club. His eyes are beautiful._

"_I can't," I say shyly. "I'll just — take a cab."_

_His hand closes over mine. "No. Please…I'd hate to see anything happen to you," he says softly. "Give me the honor of driving you home — you can't wait for your friend," he says wryly, and indicates where Tomoyo is practically fucking this guy on the floor, "to drive you home as she is — ah — otherwise occupied."_

_Such a gentleman! I take a breath and say yes. He takes me to his car — it's an ordinary compact car, nothing flashy, and he helps me into the front seat. The drive to my home is pleasant, and we talk. He's a few years older than me, works in electronics and programming, and likes martial arts and basketball. I tell him of being a CEO at the age of nineteen, of why I feel so happy when I'm at the shelter or the children's hospital, of my silly dog Kero and snobbish cat Yue. Talking to him is like having a good friend, and I love how he can drive and talk at the same time, his rich velvet voice filling my ears._

_He insists on escorting me to the door, and as I put my key into the lock, he backs off one step._

"_Don't you want some coffee, Syaoran?" I ask._

_He looks away, and says a bit roughly, "Just get inside."_

_I look at him, and say, "You don't have to be that way. Come on in; it'll only take a second."_

_He seems to be debating with himself, then finally follows me to the kitchen. His tall frame seems to dwarf the house itself, and his delicious scent teases my nostrils._

_Why do I feel like he doesn't want to be here, like he's holding back? Is something wrong with me? Then why did he rescue me?_

"_Coffee or tea?" I offer him._

"_Um," and he hesitates, "nothing, really."_

_Frustrated, I ask, "So why did you come in?"_

"_You told me it would only take a second," he reminds me. "And you seemed unhappy when I said no."_

"_Why did you say no?" I press him._

_He clenches his fists. "I have to go," he murmurs, and turns for the door._

_Oh no he doesn't! "Hey!" I grab his hand and hang on. "Why are you being so rude? I'm just trying to thank you!"_

"_Thanks accepted," he mutters without looking at me._

"_Is something wrong with me?" I ask, as I sit down. "Then why did you drive me home?"_

"_Let me out," he says softly._

"_Why? What will you do if I don't?"_

"_Fuck," he swears softly._

"_What?" I am beyond caring at this point. _

"_I can't explain…I…"_

"_Try," I say, hands on hips, eyes blazing._

_I'm unprepared when his lips crash down on mine. He kisses me aggressively, forcefully; his tongue is in my mouth before I know what's happening and when he presses me to the wall I can feel that he wants me. I suddenly understand why he was trying to leave; he was aroused, and hadn't want me to see it. Such a gentleman!_

_He tears himself away from me. "I can't stop," he murmurs. "I want you so much — do you believe in love at first sight?" he asks raggedly. "No, you probably don't…but I can't be like this to you!" He pulls himself away from me, staggering towards the door._

_He is surprised when I pull him back onto my lips, and I fumble with his shirt buttons as I kiss him._

"_No — Sakura, are you sure?"_

_My hands are bold and brazen — I run them over his smooth, hairless chest, the muscles feeling hard under my fingers. With a groan he picks me up._

"_Where's your bedroom?"_

_I point, and he takes me there; soon I'm on my bed and he's kissing me, his hands tearing at my clothes. Soon we're both naked, kissing like crazy, and our hands and tongues are everywhere. It's a bit of a struggle; I want to pleasure him but he keeps pinning me down. But when I get my mouth on his hardness, he knows he's lost. He's mine._

_In desperation he turns and faces my own softness; as I lick him up and down, he tongues me gently. We come within seconds of each other, and soon he's above me, readying himself to enter me._

_And he does, without gentleness or tenderness. We're fucking; there's no other word for it, and I ignore the pain of him inside me. The pain is searing, it kills...and yet, I embrace it. The pain is arousing somehow. I welcome it. Yet I still hope he doesn't see how much it's hurting me — it feels too good to care about the pain._

_But he does notice. I'm wincing, and he stops to examine where we're joined._

"_You…no…I'm so sorry!" He looks stricken, and tries to pull out of me. I trap him with my legs, refusing to let him go._

"_Finish it," I whisper in his ear. "Let's just…come on…" He continues to make love to me, slowly and cautiously at first until he lets me take over and ride him from above. He pulls me down after a while, and whispers, "I don't know if you'll believe me but I love you. And now," he gets a wicked gleam in his eyes, "now you're mine."_

"_How is that?" I ask teasingly._

"_Because after this," he begins as he moves his hips in slow circles to tease me right back, "after you come, I'm really going to make you mine."_

Sakura sat back, shocked with herself. In all of her previous fantasies, the man had been gentle and caring and loving through the whole thing. Yet in this, she had even described the event as 'fucking'. The man in this story was rough and aggressive, yet caring at the same time. Not only that, but she had actually used a real person in the story besides herself — Syaoran. Both firsts in her fantasy-writing. It was, as well, the first fantasy she had ever written that had the intent of 'fantasy-Sakura' not truly knowing the guy she was screwing.

It was full of firsts. And it was oddly...hot, she thought. She was turned on, perhaps even more than to begin with. The sexual frustration was still there.

Yet she wasn't happy with the final results; what came next? She hadn't wanted to stop before the fantasy really should have ended, but she didn't know how to continue it. But one thing was for sure; she wanted to know how this little fantasy ended — and so she came to a decision:

She would find out all there was to know about Syaoran Sugiyama.

* * *

**Authors Note: See? ^.^ Not too long of a wait, hopefully.**

**Thanks to 'Tomoyo'-chan, for reading this through for us and giving us her opinion ^.^ Shameless plug: Go read her story "A Most Succulent Apple", or her new oneshot "Winged Mirror".**

**WOW!!!! Your guys input last chapter was ASTOUNDING!! We were both shocked. Thanks so much!!!! **

**Thanks for reading!!! Please leave a review!**

**_xox...'Meiling' and 'Rika'_**


	3. Chapter 3: Coffees

**Maneuver:**

_Chapter Three – Coffees_

* * *

Syaoran sat at Bubble Cafe, the town's best known coffee shop, and sipped at his black coffee, glancing at the clock behind the counter every few minutes. He admitted that the atmosphere of the tiny cafe was welcoming, with its rusty orange and tea green walls, and chocolate brown tiles. It was a warm, welcoming place to be.

But that wasn't why he was there.

He kept glancing at the clock, frowning at the minute hand clicked by. _Where was she?!_ According to sightings and the schedule Eriol had made, Sakura Kinomoto came to this particular coffee shop every morning Monday through Saturday for her morning fare – French Vanilla cappuccino and a blueberry bagel with light strawberry cream cheese. Always the same order, always at the same time.

Except for today, she was running ten minutes late. He could see the man at the counter frowning, watching the door as he wiped the counter. Part of Syaoran was angry that the man – young, with sun-bleached blond hair and grey-blue eyes – was watching out for Sakura, but he shoved the emotion that triggered in him down and continued to sip her coffee.

He didn't look behind him toward the door when the tiny bell rang – all he had to do was divert his gaze sideways to see the counter-boy's face light up as he stood up straighter. He watched from the corner of his eye as Sakura approached the counter – she was dressed in a tight, high-waisted black pencil-cut skirt and a loose white blouse tucked in. The blouse plunged low, showing off her small yet round cleavage, the shirt transparent enough for anyone to see the black bra she wore underneath. Her hair was pinned up, long earrings dangling from her ears and her makeup appearing to be professionally done, light enough to accentuate her best features while still looking natural. She wore tan stockings and high black pumps.

Syaoran rolled his eyes at her appearance – _slut_, he thought. He straightened up, pretending not to have noticed Sakura at all, and quickly finished his coffee

"Good morning, Sakura," the young man working behind the counter said, his voice upbeat as he smiled.

Sakura sighed in exasperation, "Morning Seiji. I'm running a bit late so perhaps I'll only take the coffee – "

"No need to miss out on breakfast," the man chuckled softly. From the corner of his eye, Syaoran saw the man duck behind the counter and come back up with a to-go coffee cup and paper bag. "You're never late, so when eight o'clock came and went, I figured I should get everything ready for you so you could hurry out."

Sakura let out a loud sigh of relief, "Oh, thank you thank you thank you! Really, Seiji, this is great." She laid down the usual bills for payment on the counter tray designated for that purpose.

"Not a problem, really," the man smiled as he took the money Sakura placed on the tray and handed her the bag and coffee. He shifted uncomfortably, "But, erm, maybe...If you're not busy tomorrow night...We could, maybe, get together or something…?"

Syaoran tightened his hold on his coffee mug, swallowing a growl wanting to rip through him – _Mine!_

_What the fuck am I thinking? _he quickly castigated himself. _Mine, only in the sense of being the wife I need, not mine because I want a whore like her!_

"Oh..." Sakura looked downcast, also shifting. "Seiji, I don't think..."

"No, no," he shook his head. "It's fine. I just thought...Yeah, no, never mind. It's cool."

_Now, let the games begin, _Syaoran pushed back his chair, making it scrape against the tiled floor and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair, then turned and swiftly left, pretending not to have seen Sakura.

**x.X.x**

"Oh..." Sakura felt her heart twinge, feeling somewhat sorry for the young man in front of her. He was handsome, that was for sure; very attractive. Yet she felt nothing for him, not romantically at least. He was kind and smart, top in his university course – but she just didn't feel…a pull toward him. He had asked her before, twice, and each time she had turned him down. She hated doing that, since he was such a kind guy, but couldn't help it. She didn't like him like that. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, looking down to her coffee. "Seiji, I don't think..."

"No, no," he shook his head quickly, his long blonde hair moving with him. "It's fine. I just thought...Yeah, no, never mind. It's cool."

Sakura cringed when the scraping of a chair against the floor tiles shot through her ears – she hated that sound, like nails on a chalkboard. She turned her head just in time to see a man grab his coat from the back of his chair, only able to catch sight of his thick, artfully tousled mop of chocolate brown hair. Her heart stopped; she'd recognize that hair anywhere. Especially since it starred in most of her fantasies these days...

Her face turned bright red; her skin felt like it was on fire. She turned back to Seiji who was frowning at her in confusion. She quickly grabbed her stuff just as the bell rang, informing her that the man with the brown hair had left, and shot him a quick smile. She held up her cup to him and nodded, "Thanks for this! See you tomorrow morning!"

Sakura saw Seiji slowly raise his hand to wave, confusion sketched on his face, before she rushed toward the door and pushed it open. She looked down the sidewalk both ways before seeing the thick hair just above the crowd. She took off after him, in the opposite direction of her car. Her heart was thudding angrily in her chest as she approached him. _What the hell are you doing...? Chasing after a guy? Pathetic, Kinomoto!_

"H-Hey!" She called out as she neared. "Umm...SYAORAN!"

The man stopped in his tracks and turned, realization seeming to dawn on him as he saw her face. A bright smile lit his face as he turned around. Sakura grinned as she reached him, slightly out of breath. "Hey, I...uhh...you were just in that coffee shop now, right?"

"Yeah," he looked down to the cup in her hand and chuckled, "And I suppose you were, too? Sorry, must have not seen you."

"No, I was talking to someone," her cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment at the mention of Seiji.

His smile seemed to fall slightly, but he quickly regained it. "So has anyone else been bothering you since that bastard at the bar grabbed you?"

Sakura's face grew red again. She looked down, trying to let her hair hide her face. "Oh, right...Erm, thanks for that. I know I didn't sound grateful or anything, I just – "

"It's fine," he stopped her. He looked her up and down, making Sakura shift uncomfortably. When he looked back up at her, his eyes were accusing and she felt a scowl appear on her face; _what's your problem?!_

Syaoran frowned. "So you didn't answer my question; has anyone else been bothering you?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, "I'm sorry, but I didn't feel obligated to answer that. I thank you for helping me out that night, but I can handle it."

"Right," Sakura thought she heard him scoff beneath his breath, but he didn't push it. He sighed and leaned against the building beside them, standing out of the way of people passing by on the sidewalk.

"So, the person you were talking to...What did he want?"

She raised an eyebrow, "How do you know it was a guy?"

"Lucky guess," he shrugged. "Besides, who else talks to you? It's not like women are inclined to…" He let his voice trail off.

"Well, if you must absolutely know – though I don't think it's any of your business – he asked me out," Sakura didn't understand herself – one minute, she was running after Syaoran so she could catch a glimpse of his face and hear his voice...And the next, she was fuming at him, angry that he was prying into her life.

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow, "And?"

"Not that it's any of you business," she repeated, this time a bit more tersely, "but I kindly told him no."

Syaoran paused, blinking as if he hadn't heard her. "No?"

"No." Sakura looked down self-consciously, taking a sip her coffee, feeling Syaoran's gaze.

"And what would it take to go on a date with you?" he asked her with a lopsided grin, catching her off-guard.

Sakura looked up and gaze a small wink, "Maybe if you save me again, Superman, I'll grant you that date."

Before he could say anything, she spun around and rushed down the sidewalk, her face aflame as she mentally scolded herself – _What the hell was that? Did you just...__**flirt**__...with him?! Get a grip on yourself!!_

Yep, her emotions were definitely all wacked – first wanting to see him, then wanting to hit him, and then hitting _on _him.

She groaned and she wretched open her car door; yes, something was **definitely** wrong with her.

**x.X.x**

Syaoran stormed into the Li building, his face lacking its usual confident smile. Instead, his face showed shock.

"_Maybe if you save me again, Superman, I'll grant you that date."_

She even winked! She fucking _winked_! Sakura Kinomoto was definitely dangerous; one moment, it looked like she wanted to rip his balls off, and then the next, she was flirting. And not even light flirting; like, **right out there** flirting. Enough to stir some movement below Syaoran's waist.

"Damn girl," Syaoran snarled as he stormed into his office, ignoring his secretary who was trying to give him his usual morning coffee. He slammed the door behind him and threw himself on the leather couch inside, grabbing his hair in anger. "She's not supposed to affect me like this, dammit. She's the enemy!"

"Well that enemy, as you put it, must be pretty good then if she's got you so riled up."

Syaoran growled angrily, exhaling through his nose as he turned to see Eriol sitting calmly at Syaoran's desk. His eyes narrowed, "Who let you in?"

"You're late," Eriol ignored the question, glaring accusingly. "You're usually in by six, seven at the latest...But it's close to nine now. Really Syaoran, what the hell? Had to get a good bang before work?"

Syaoran blinked, confused. Eriol never spoke to him so crudely. Never really spoke out of place, period. He glared right back. "Fuck off, Hiiragizawa. And for your information, I haven't fucking touched the Kinomoto bitch, so screw off."

"And you're going to try and make me believe that you're not sexing up some other woman while you wait for her?" Eriol raised an eyebrow, his eyes dark.

Syaoran shot up into a sitting position, his eyes narrowed slits. "Yeah, I am. I'm not doing anything with any other woman right now, so get off my back. I am not a man-whore or a playboy. Only weak, disgusting men do that. I've ever only had one woman at a time! Don't project your desires to be one onto me," he sneered.

After a small staredown, Syaoran sighed and slumped back against the couch, crossing his arms loosely against his chest. "What is it with you, anyway? After all I've done for you, you're pissed about me trying to get the Kinomoto girl? What the hell?"

Eriol looked away, sighing as he ran a shaky hand through his hair. "She's been through a lot, you know? I just feel that...she shouldn't be getting tossed around like this."

"Been through a lot?" Syaoran frowned.

Eriol let out another long sigh, "I actually read the newspapers. And then I found out some...things...when you got me to find stuff out about her. She's just...been through a lot; hell, really. She doesn't deserve this."

"She's a fucking whore!" Syaoran shot back. "She's doing this to herself!"

Eriol shot him an angry glare. "Whatever." He pushed off the chair and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him so the blinds on it shook.

Syaoran cursed a line of profanities under his breath as he pushed himself off the couch and walked over to his desk. He took a seat on the chair, gently swinging back and forth as he tapped a pen against the desk.

"_Maybe if you save me again, Superman, I'll grant you that date."_

A devious smile suddenly lit up his face. He grabbed the phone and dialled a number off the top of his head. It rang three times before a man on the other end picked up.

"Oi, Yamazaki," Syaoran couldn't help but grin wickedly into the phone. "I need a favour..."

**x.X.x**

Sakura was shocked; she had been at Sweet Fire for nearly ten whole minutes and no one had tried to speak to her yet. As a result, she was grinning. Hell, she knew it wouldn't last, but she wanted to bask in it while she could.

So of course, not five minutes after that, as she was sipping away at a candy apple martini, she wasn't shocked when a hand grasped her waist and gave it a tight squeeze. So tight, in fact, she winced not from disgust but from pain.

The hand remained as a mouth descended on her shoulder, working its way up to her ear. She tried to move away from the repulsive touch, but the man reached out a hand to grasp the other side of her waist, holding her still. Once at her ear, he spoke in a low and husky voice, "Hey babe, ever heard of the old-wives'-tale that says men with large hands also possess something else large?"

"Is that so they can take care of themselves when the girl they hit on turns them down?" Sakura asked between clenched teeth. She turned her head to see the man hitting on her; he was fairly attractive, that was for sure. Though pale, he had fun-looking spiky black hair and small dark eyes. His eyes sparkled happily, as if nothing could drop the smile off his face.

He threw back his head and laughed, "You're funny." He wasn't sarcastic or mean; he sounded sincere about it. Perhaps that's what irked Sakura more; she hadn't meant it as a joke. He pulled his hands away from her and took a seat on the barstool beside her, grinning as he held out a hand to her. "I'm Takashi Yamazaki. And who, my beauty, might you be?"

"I'm gone," Sakura tried to slide off her seat, taking her drink with her, when his hand shot out and grabbed the hand not holding the drink. She stiffened and turned back, glaring as she tried to tug her hand away from his firm grasp with no avail. "Hey! What's your deal? Let go of me, ass!"

The man grinned, "Aww, come on! I'm not that repulsive, am I? Can't you just sit with me for a while?"

Sakura scoffed, "Not in a million years. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He tightened his grasp on her, making Sakura narrow her eyes angrily. He stood back up and tried to pull her closer to him, "Come on...One drink?"

"No!" Sakura told him firmly, pulling with all her force to get away from him. "Let go of me before I call security!"

Just then, a hand shot out and grabbed Yamazaki's wrist, the one on the arm he was using to hold Sakura. Shocked, she looked over to see the same man she had met at Illusion three days before – the man with the lean body and mystifying chocolate brown eyes; Syaoran Sugiyama. She felt a sigh of relief whoosh from her lungs.

Syaoran seemed to be glaring at the man holding onto Sakura, his eyes dark yet unafraid. "Let go of her."

The man smiled happily; too happily. "Oh? And what are you going to do about it?"

Syaoran growled, "Let. Her. _Go._" When he didn't, Syaoran drew back a fist but Sakura screamed and dropped her glass, freeing her hand and grabbing his wrist to stop him. It was an awkward stance Sakura held, having one hand trapped in Takashi Yamazaki's grasp and the other holding on Syaoran, her arms criss-crossed, but she managed.

Takashi, however, didn't seem to take too kindly to the threat Syaoran had implied. He eyes the fist almost angrily, then grabbed a drink from the bar, throwing the contents on Syaoran.

"Fuck off, dude," Takashi told him, loosening his grasp on Sakura in the slightest. "She's mine tonight."

 Sakura ripped her hand away from him, succeeding this time, and stepped back, glowering at him. "I'm no one's – not tonight, not any night." She turned to Syaoran, who seemed to be shocked by her outburst. She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the exit, ignoring the catcalls and whistles directed toward them. Her face burned with colour; apparently, the scene they had caused attracted more attention than she would have thought.

Once outside and away from the crowd, Sakura dropped his hand and turned around, her face still redder than ever. "I'm sorry about that. Your shirt is probably ruined. I promise I'll give you the money for it, but you really didn't have to do anything back there– "

"Yeah, I know," he smiled knowingly, though he seemed peeved. "You can take care of yourself, right?" He sighed when she blushed and looked away, running a hand through his hair. When Sakura peered up, she saw his eyes raking over her attire – tight black tank with sparkly red beads to make a large pair of lips across her chest, a tight denim skirt that barely covered her ass, and black strappy heels.

"What?" She finally snapped as his eyes moved up and down her for the third time, his eyes growing darker and darker as his eyebrows bunched together.

"Well, I'm just wondering," he finally looked back up at her eyes, his own showing a wave of anger. "If you don't like all these assholes hitting on you, why do you dress that provocatively—like a cheap 'ho?"

She scoffed, "Excuse me? Now I'm a 'ho?"  

"Well you're dressing like one!" Syaoran shot at her. She balled up her fists, ready to strike. His eyes widened and he looked down, scratching the back of his head, "Look, I didn't mean to call you that...Just, honestly, when you dress like – _that –_ it's no wonder guys are all over you. They probably get a boner just looking at you. And now, both times that I've seen a guy hitting on you, you don't seem comfortable. So, what? They're just not your type? Because dressing like that is like an open invitation to every dick in there – every dick in the world, really."

"So are you saying I'm asking for it?" Sakura spat. "How archaic of you! It's the twenty-first century, you know! I have the right to dress any way I like!"

"Yeah, yeah," Syaoran said. "You have every right to dress the way you like. I get that, I respect that. But how stupid would you have to be not to know that assholes who want to hassle you will use any excuse to do so—and your clothes are that excuse?"

Sakura's cheeks burned and her eyes stung. She looked away, embarrassed. "My best friend owns _Flower Field_, you know, the clothing line? So she kinda dresses me...All my clothes are from her."

"Are all her clothes this slutty?"

Her cheeks were glowing by now, "No, she just brings over a bunch of stuff for me whenever she feels like it."

"Then why don't you go shopping?"

"Because!" She threw up her arms, looking back at him exasperated. "She's by best friend – my sister! I can't go out and buy different clothes! It'd be like running over a kitten; horrible! It'd be like telling her I hate her clothes!"

"And do you?" He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said no one owned you? Not now, not ever? Then why are you letting your friend dictate this for you? Aren't you allowed to dress yourself? Shouldn't your friend realize that her clothes are the reason why you keep getting harassed?"

She looked back down, shuffling her feet, mumbling, "Erm, not...really, I suppose. I just can't stand the thought of hurting her feelings..."

"So you intend to not hurt her feelings. Will you endure this harassment for the rest of your life? Someday someone won't be around to save you. There's such a thing as gang rape, you know," Syaoran said harshly. "If a group of men decide they want to rape you, no amount of yelling or your fighting will save you from brute force. Nobody deserves rape, and no matter how strong you are, do you think you can survive that – just so you can save your friend's feelings? Don't you understand that those clothes paint a bullseye on you – especially since you make a habit of going to these kinds of bars? How much is this friendship worth to you if it means being miserable and being molested on a regular basis?" His voice had risen, and his eyes were glinting. He was leaning over her, breathing heavily from emotion. "Come on! If you want to play the independent woman, fine, but be independent in all aspects of your life!"

Sakura merely stared at him, her mouth open. _I never thought of that…and oh my God he's right…_

Neither he nor she realized until much later what Syaoran had truly said in those words.

"I just..." Sakura sighed. "I never thought of it that way. I…" and her voice became smaller, "don't know what to say."

She sounded so vulnerable, After a long pause, she heard Syaoran sigh heavily. Keeping her face down, she moved her eyes to look up at him through her bangs. He was running a hand through his hair – suddenly, he didn't seem so confident. He truly, genuinely seemed...nervous.

"Okay," he sighed loudly. "I get to choose our outing for our date, right?"

_Date?!_

Sakura's head shot up, her e yes wide. "Umm...d-date?" What was he on about? After that outburst, he was changing the subject?

He lifted an eyebrow, questioning her. "Oh, are you going back on your word? Remember, you said it this morning – you said if I saved you again, then we'd go on a date."

 Sakura's eyes widened even more as she remembered, her face blushing again. She scolded herself; what the hell was with all the blushing?! She wasn't a blusher! "O-Oh! Yeah, um...right..."

"Good," he nodded. "So tomorrow morning I'll come and pick you up. We're going to the mall."

"The m-mall?"

 "Yeah," he grinned. "We're going to go shopping."

**x.X.x**

Syaoran pulled up at Sakura's driveway in one of his more 'normal' cars, his 2009 Volkswagon Jetta TDI – early the next morning. He hated driving it, preferring his more luxurious cars, like his Mercedes or Porsche or, his favourite, Ferrari. But it wouldn't do for her to know how wealthy he was.

He cut the engine and sighed, still gripping the steering wheel as he slumped forward and rested his forehead on the wheel. He had to think.

What the fuck was wrong with him? Last night had been completely messed up. Takashi had done his part perfectly, but after that, everything seemed to go to shit on Syaoran. He had spoken up about how Sakura dressed; which was true, she did dress like a slut. But hell, she _was_ one, wasn't she? So what did it matter to him? Why had he given her that lecture – acted like he – cared about her?!

Because it bugged him. He hated all the men drooling over her, imagining themselves up her short skirt. Even the way she dressed for work was dangerous, even though it was slightly safer than how she dressed when she went out.

Yet that was something else that confused him – he meant what he said; she didn't seem comfortable with the men hitting on her, and he knew the consequences of how she dressed. How did that work when it was well-known for her to sleep with any guy who fell prey to her? Yet both times he saw her, she had turned men down. Perhaps she had preferences? Perhaps she only went for certain guys? Or maybe she had already had a guy waiting for her those nights, and didn't want to handle two different guys? No, Eriol's research indicated she had no boyfriend, not even a secret one; when she'd been tailed to determine her schedule, she had not met up with any man.

"Fuck," he cursed, banging his head against the steering wheel. _None of this makes sense!_

And then, he said he'd take her shopping; a genuine date. Really, what the hell?! When he'd called up Takashi to begin with, all he was planning on doing was taking her out his sailboat out by the ocean, and then, hopefully, make his moves on her while they were stranded away from shore, too far for her to resist him.

Well, so much for that brilliant idea.

With one final curse, he opened the door and stepped out. He only had to knock on the door once before Sakura answered; he was surprised that no servants opened the door. He had at least ten at his own house, and he never once answered the door himself. It was...odd.

Sakura was dressed a bit more decently today, though not much better than usual; she wore flowy yellow skirt that came up to her knees and a white tank top that showed off her midriff. She beamed at him, her cheeks slightly tinged with pink. "Oh, you're early! Sorry, just give me ten minutes and I'll be ready."

"Oh, okay," he stepped back, confused when she frowned.

"Don't be silly! Come on in," she grinned. She stepped aside, letting him enter the house, and closed the door behind him. Syaoran frowned at the noise coming from inside the house. Sakura sighed, "I have some people in to redo my living room. I really hated that carpet. You can wait in my office if you'd like, though."

Syaoran followed her down the hall and stepped into the office when she opened the door. It was roomy, with a couch and everything. He stepped in and looked around, smiling. Both warm and personal, nice.

"I'll only be a few," she promised before rushing out.

Syaoran sighed when she left, taking another look around. His eyes finally settled on the dark wooden desk by the window. Curious, he went over and sat in the leather seat. He picked up a pen and put it down, then examined a book and read the back quickly before putting that down too. He skimmed over the photo of a happy family – a mother and father with their two young children. He recognized the man as Fujitaka Kinomoto, and vaguely remembered the name of his wife. He could only presume the baby in the photo was Sakura herself, her bright green eyes so much like her mother's. That nearly made a smile tug at his lips, 'nearly' being the key word.

Suddenly, the phone rang. He jumped, not knowing what to do, but luckily someone seemed to pick up after the third ring. A moment later, Sakura came back in the doorway, holding the phone to her shoulder. She gave him an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I'll be a few minutes. It's kind of important; work-related."

"Yeah, sure," he gave an easy grin. She smiled graciously before walking away, returning to the phone. He sighed, not knowing how long he'd have to wait for her. Lazily, he traced over the Apple icon on her laptop.

_Wonder if she has any new plans on here for the company..._

He grinned wickedly, quickly opening the laptop and turning it on. He grinned when he realized she hadn't activated a password for it.

Working quickly, he opened the root folder for files and frowned when there was really nothing there. She seemed to keep a daily journal for her routines there, some other random crap, but nothing work related.

_Wait! _He paused at a folder titled 'Flower Design'.

Syaoran frowned; Flower Design? He couldn't see anything else that had to do with her work, so perhaps this was just another folder? She probably had a computer at her office over at the Kinomoto building that she used for work. But...

_...But what if this is something secret? Like, top-secret that she's only working on...Not even been approved by the board yet?_

He quickly double clicked it, grinning like the Cheshire cat. In it, were files saved with names such as 'Beach' and 'Honey' and 'Meadow'. The latest she seemed to have saved was 'Amber Eyes'.

_Hmmm_, he mused, _odd names_. He was about to double-click her newest one when he heard heels clicking down the hall. A wave of panic washed over him, so he quietly closed the laptop's screen and moved to the bookcase behind her desk, pretending to peer at the titles curiously.

Sakura popped her head in, smiling apologetically, "Sorry about that...Just let me grab my purse from upstairs and I'm ready."

"No problem," Syaoran was unable to keep himself from grinning in relief. He waited until he heard her leave then pulled out a keychain from his pocket from which a USB stick dangled. He slid it into a port on the laptop and quickly saved the entire 'Flower Design' folder into the stick. He shut down the laptop, closed the screen, and returned to the couch. Not a moment later, Sakura was in the doorway, smiling.

"Ready?" She asked.

He smiled, standing as he shoved his hands into his pocket and ran his thumb over the USB stick. "Yeah," he nodded, following her out of the room, "Let's go."

* * *

**Authors Note: Sorry, the update would have been quicker but Rika-chan was dragged around town for the past couple of days by her lil' sisters XD **

**Because of the reviews we're getting, worried about Tomoyo, we thought we should explain something quickly -- Tomoyo is OOC for a reason, and that reason will reveal itself in its due time. She has her reasons for being so promiscuous. Just have some faith, please? We promise to reveal her reasons, along with Eriol's reasons to WHY he's so against Syaoran going after Sakura, soon. **

**_Mei Ling: I trust Rika-chan; I normally hate fics with slutty characters but in this case, she has a very good reason for Tomoyo's promiscuity._**

**_Rika: *cackles evilly* Hehe, she trusts me XDD_**

**Lastly....OMGWOWLOVEYOUGUYS!!!! The reviews are freakin' amazing!! Please keep them coming in...Reviews are better than Syaoran downloading all of Sakura's yummy fantasies ^.- Hey, that's got to mean something!!! LOL**

**Please review!!! ^.-**

**xox...Meiling and Rika**


	4. Chapter 4: Ice Cold Bottle Water

ADDED NOTE: We do NOT own the lyrics mentioned in this fanfic. The lyrics used in this is from the song "Shake Tramp" by Marianas Trench. All rights go to the band and the song writer(s).

* * *

**Maneuver:**

_Chapter Four – Ice Cold Bottled Water

* * *

_

"You were...serious," Sakura said, aghast, as they pulled up into the mall's parking lot.

Syaoran looked over to her and chuckled as he searched for a spot, "Yeah, of course I was. Why did you think I was kidding?"

Sakura looked at him with wide shocked eyes, "Well, guys don't usually like to shop; especially with women. Or at least, that's what I thought..."

Syaoran pulled into a parking spot near the back of the lot and cut the engine, turning to her with a lopsided grin, "I'm not like most guys."

_No, _Sakura thought, her face slowly gaining colour._ You're definitely not like most guys. Most guys don't get to me the way you do..._

They got out of the car and quickly walked toward the entrance, Syaoran locking the doors with the remote on his keys as they walked. Once in, Syaoran led her to the first clothing store they saw. Sakura didn't have time to catch the name of the store before going in – one moment she was entering the building, the next she was in a store being greeted by a saleslady.

The woman was gorgeous, with deep caramel-coloured hair and stunning violet eyes. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, and she was eyeing Syaoran up and down hungrily. Sakura wanted to say something when she licked her lips slowly, but merely clenched her jaw and suffered in silence; _does she not see me here?_

"Hello, sir," she welcomed, sauntering over to Syaoran with a sexy smile on her face. "And what can I do for you today?"

Sakura did a mental happy-dance when Syaoran ignored the attentions of the beauty before him. He gave her a polite smile and looked towards Sakura. "We're actually looking for some casual clothes for the young lady here – perhaps some jeans, tees...You know, the usual."

The woman pouted slightly, making Sakura stifle a giggle. "Do **you** need any help? Anything _at all_?"

Again, Sakura heard what she was implying. Syaoran merely answered, "Well, I don't know anything about fashion so perhaps you could suggest some things?"

The woman eyed him for a moment longer before giving out a sigh. She turned to Sakura with venomous eyes. "What size are you?"

"Umm," Sakura had to think; she hadn't bought her own clothes in years. "A...four? I think?"

The woman pursed her lips and nodded, "Right, well, if you'll follow me then..."

Within twenty minutes, Syaoran was carrying around a large pile of clothes that had been tossed at him by the saleslady. She led the two to the back changing rooms and unlocked a room for Sakura, reminding them of the rule of only five articles of clothing at a time. Syaoran took a seat on the bench in front of the change room and laid the pile of clothes beside him. Sakura grabbed two pairs of jeans and three tops before locking herself in the room.

Sakura quickly disposed of her clothes and slipped on the first pair of jeans – dark washed skinny low risers – and a plain rose-pink tee and black vest. It was definitely a difference from what she usually wore; the shirt came down to just below her bottom and its collar came up to the base of her neck. The jeans sat snugly on her hips, though the shirt hid any skin that might show if she bent over. The vest was fairly short, stopping mid-stomach, but it was both flirty and casual. Sakura couldn't help but stare at her reflection for a bit. She looked…cute, and it was a nice change from the slutty outfits Tomoyo usually gave her, thank goodness.

"Hey!" Syaoran called out, startling her. She had momentarily forgotten about him. "Step out so I can see?"

Sakura bit her lower lip nervously and unlocked the door to step out.

Syaoran's eyes widened.

**x.X.x**

Syaoran sat on the bench, his head back against the wall as he stared up at the ceiling. Currently, he was counting the little dots in the ceiling tiling, but he had lost track at four hundred something. Finally, he gave a small groan – _how long did it take for a girl to try on a few clothes? And there were still more out here!_ – and glared at the door.

"Hey! Step out so I can see?"

A moment later, he heard the click of the door unlocking and it swung open. As if apprehensive, Sakura slowly stepped out. Syaoran felt his eyes widen on her, his jaw slacking slightly.

She looked entirely different; nothing like the slut he had met at the bar. She seemed...younger, more innocent. The skinny jeans were hugging her legs just right, making them appear long and slender. The shirt was modest, yet the tight vest she wore added a touch of sexiness. He looked back up at her face to see her cheeks coloured a light pink and her eyes looking downward.

It was only then that Syaoran had realized he'd been checking her out, his eyes racking over her lithe body. And it was only then that he realized something was stirring in his groin – that he actually found her _desirable_ in the casual clothing, perhaps more desirable than usual.

Syaoran realized quickly why this was so: the combination of innocence and sexiness suited her much better than the out-and-out display of flesh. Now, he wanted to discover what lay under the clothes; when her breasts and flesh were on display, he wasn't interested because he couldn't get past the whole "whore, slut" thing back then. Nobody wanted what was free, and Sakura's old clothes made it look like her entire body was for free.

Not anymore, though, and the situation was beginning to pique his interest, against his will. Why didn't she act like a whore? Her explanation regarding her friend dressing her, though outrageously silly, seemed to fit more and more the longer he knew her. Her attitude was strangely sweet, open, and trusting, and to his horror Syaoran discovered that the longer he spent with her, the more he began to like her—as a person. _Not good_, he thought, especially in light of what he had planned.

He cleared his throat and gave a smile, though felt that it was shaky.

"That's nice," he complimented, seeing her cheeks brighten slightly. "You...ah, should definitely get it. Go try on the next outfit."

When she disappeared back in the changing room, he banged his head back against the wall and groaned. _Oh for God's sake!_ She was dressed in street clothes – plain ol' jeans and a decent top, and yet, he was…aroused now. That hadn't happened at all when she'd been dressed in tight fitting clothing that left nothing to the imagination.

_That's fucked up_, he mentally groaned, closing his eyes to calm himself. Unconsciously, he pulled a pair of jeans into his lap to hide the slightly noticeable bulge.

Each time Sakura stepped out of the change room, Syaoran felt his crotch twitch hungrily, because the jeans, the cute blouses and shirts – all created a much more desirable-looking Sakura, in his opinion. And each time, he'd chastise himself – it didn't make sense, not when Sakura's clothing wasn't even alluring, just – ordinary. And yet somehow, Sakura Kinomoto made casual clothing look...sexy.

They had a brief tussle over the bill, and Sakura slipped her credit card to the cashier after suggesting to the saleslady that Syaoran might like something; the woman cornered a protesting Syaoran, and Sakura made off to the cashier with her purchases. She felt strangely free, and was happy that she now had clothing that did not look like they had come straight from the wardrobe of a hooker.

Syaoran, after disentangling himself from the saleslady, watched Sakura as she walked back to him. Her step was happier; she was now in one of the shirt and jean outfits, and she looked her age, finally. He'd never noticed how her hips curved out from a nicely hollowed waist, how her breasts swelled gently, how interesting the…Stop! Just stop! He scolded himself, because the area of his groin was starting to stretch his jeans, and he would be damned if he had to relieve himself then and there. Only two options were available – grab Sakura and fuck her now, or go somewhere like a toilet and release the pressure in his crotch. Neither was a viable option.

How is this girl affecting me anyway? He fought to retain control, not to stare at her like a hungry wolf.

Once they were done with that store, they went into another a few stores down. It mostly sold summer dresses, and Syaoran balked but Sakura had insisted. She said she liked wearing dresses, but Tomoyo's were always too short. She wanted something she could wear in town without the fear of being mauled by the male population. Syaoran wanted to shoot himself when he agreed.

Sakura stepped out of the changing room, beaming. She did a little twirl, giggling happily, "Ohh! I love this one!" She stopped to face Syaoran, and saw his eyes burning on her. Immediately, she bit her lip nervously. "Umm, wh-what do you think, Syaoran?"

What did Syaoran think of it...? Was that supposed to be a rhetorical question?

The dress was decent, especially for a halter-top style. It came down to the middle of her knees and had a nice scoop neck which nicely emphasized her breasts, though it covered all of her cleavage. It was two shades of blue – robin egg blue and sky blue. The bottom hemming, bow at the back of the neck, and sash around the ribs were all a darker blue, while the rest was the lighter. When she twirled, the skirt fluttered out, yet currently it was gently draped against her body. The entire outfit

Syaoran had never been so hard around Sakura Kinomoto before. It was past the point of embarrassing, and he had to force down the blush wanting to appear—at his age! Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice the rather large bump in his jeans. He simply cleared his throat, trying unsuccessfully to look away.

"It's...It's very nice," he mumbled nearly incoherently. "Are you going to get it?" Oh, those smooth, creamy shoulders made him want to kiss, lick, and bite her there. He wanted to see if her breasts would fit into his palm, what kind of panties she was wearing under the skirt, if her throat was a sensitive place…Fuck it, Li, are you some stupid hormone-addled adolescent? Get a grip on yourself, you fucking horndog! Syaoran scolded himself. Not that his crotch was listening; Sakura had its full attention, in more ways than one.

Sakura slowly smiled, still biting her lip, oblivious to his reaction. "Definitely. I thought it suited me...But maybe I'll get it in pink? Or yellow? I saw those back there, but grabbed the first one I saw...Hmm, the yellow would definitely look better – don't you agree?"

Syaoran groaned softly, picturing her in both colours. The pink was always a nice colour against her, but the yellow...He felt himself twitch again.

"Yeah. Sure," he said shortly. "We'll grab one on the way out."

Sakura beamed and spun around to go back and try on the next dress. Once Syaoran heard the dressing room door lock click, he sighed and carefully adjusted himself as discreetly as he could. But when he did that, his hand brushed against himself and that didn't help the situation. He groaned, frustrated, and cursed under his breath. Carefully, he stood up, trying to hide his arousal. Nope, it had to be fixed, and he couldn't do so discreetly anymore

He needed to get away, if even for a minute. He walked forward and knocked on her door.

"Ahhh...S-Sakura?" Syaoran cursed himself for stammering. "I'm just heading to the bathroom. Are you okay here?"

"Yeah! No problem!" She called out. "I'll wait here."

Syaoran rushed out of the store and down the mall, trying to find the closest place to go – a bathroom, the food-court...anywhere to just sit down and calm down. He wasn't going to actually go beat off in the mall's bathroom—that was for horny adolescents, not a grown man like him.

He finally settled in the food-court, deciding to get a coffee while there. He planned to sit for five minutes and toss it down; that'd surely give him enough time to calm down, right?...Right?

He stepped in the short line for the coffee and paid, then grabbed a small table in a remote corner. He drummed his fingers against the table top as he sipped at the steaming hot black coffee.

What was wrong with him?! Sure, he knew he had had _some _attraction to Sakura Kinomoto – but who wouldn't? She was young and hot, and the way she dressed forced most minds to wander elsewhere. But he had known plenty of girls like that, and not one of them had given him such a hard and painful erection without even touching him. Yet with Sakura, he had experienced that. And not when she had been dressed in skimpy clothing, but when she had been wearing casual, normal, everyday clothing. It was messed up!

"Syaoran?"

Syaoran jumped at the sound of his voice, spilling his coffee across the table. He grumbled, cursing, and grabbed some napkins from the centre of the table to mop it up. The chair across him was pulled away and the voice's owner sat down.

He looked up and grumbled, his eyes narrowing, "What do you want, Eriol?"

Eriol had both a confused and worried face on; his brows were knitted close together, his eyes scrutinizing Syaoran carefully. "What are you doing here?"

"What are_ you_ doing here?" Syaoran questioned, raised eyebrow.

Eriol shrugged, "I just needed to pick up a new pair of shoes for work. My other ones are nearly falling apart. Now, answer my question."

Imitating him, Syaoran also shrugged and sipped back the small amount of coffee that hadn't spilt. "I'm here with Sakura. I decided to take her shopping."

Eriol's eyes bugged out, "You're taking her...shopping? You? Shopping with a girl?"

"Yeah, so?" Syaoran frowned. When Eriol slowly began to smile, Syaoran rolled his eyes. "She dresses slutty because of her friend, apparently, so I decided to take her shopping. Nothing wrong with that."

Eriol grinned; Syaoran was being defensive. Interesting. "Oh, so this shopping spree – which I'm sure was your idea – _isn't _because when she dresses said way, every male pair of eyes are on her and their dicks stand at full attention?"

Syaoran glared and growled, his mind suddenly swimming with images of her in the halter-top dress he had left her in. "Fuck off, Hiiragizawa. And no, that's not it at all. I couldn't care less who's eyeing her, so long as I get her in the end."

Eriol rolled his eyes, "So where is she now?"

Syaoran checked down at his watch to see that he'd been gone for nearly ten minutes. He jumped, swearing loudly. "I have to go. I told her I was just going to the bathroom..." He suddenly stopped when he saw Eriol's eyes widen as Syaoran's groin came into view, right before Eriol burst out laughing. Syaoran frowned and looked down, cussing before sitting back down quickly. Apparently, his big little problem wasn't gone just yet.

"Fuck. Off," Syaoran growled at his…for want of a better word, friend.

"I see she does have an effect on you then, hmm, Li?" Eriol's voice was teasing; for once, he had the upper hand on Syaoran.

"I said to – "

"Yeah yeah," Eriol stood up, holding his hands up in a surrendering stance. "I'm going. Just..." he paused and looked down to Syaoran, his eyes suddenly serious. "Just, before you do anything, could you maybe ask about her past? Or at least read into it...Syaoran, that girl's gone through a lot, alright?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure...Whatever."

Eriol stared at him for a moment, before sighing and leaving. Syaoran watched him leave, then closed his eyes and willed the problem to go away. He pictured icebergs, cold showers, even his mother—then Sakura came into his mind. He saw himself push away the halter and kiss the skin under it, saw himself kissing Sakura as his hands reached for her breasts…and his wilting erection sprang back to life. No! This wouldn't do; any moment now he would be noticed, and in trouble. Finally, he growled and rushed to the bathroom. He slammed the cubicle door closed and pushed down his pants and boxers in one motion and grabbing his painfully hard length.

So much for having the decency not to beat off in the mall bathroom. Maybe he _was_ sick.

**x.X.x**

After hitting one more store – a place for Sakura to try on suits for work, both pant and skirt sets – they both decided to stop for lunch. Sakura had surprised Syaoran by reappearing in the yellow halter dress and a pair of tiny white sandals. It took all of Syaoran's willpower not to drag her ass to the bathroom and pound into her, only stopping himself with the thought that if he was patient, surely she'd be the one to give in.

They were walking toward the food court when Syaoran suddenly felt possessive of her. He could swear he could see all the male eyes on her. Apparently, he wasn't the only one to think she looked sexy as hell in normal clothes, especially in a simple summer dress. When a loud whistle sounded, he felt a growl raise in his throat. Sakura shot a look at him, shocked.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Someone whistled..." he growled.

Sakura blinked at him, then threw her head back and laughed. "That wasn't toward me. Weren't you watching?" She pointed to the man who had whistled, who was laughing as a woman was slapping his arm. Sakura giggled, "He whistled at her, and apparently, they know each other. See how he's laughing? Nothing was toward me, Syaoran, but..." she looked up at him through her lashes, smiling softly to him. "Thank you."

Syaoran blinked at her, surprised. Then, feeling as if he had no control over his actions, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer towards his side. When she looked at him curiously, he simply shrugged. "Just in case."

Sakura grinned and nodded, blushing as she leaned into him.

At the food court, Sakura grabbed a booth table while Syaoran got them lunch, insisting that he pay. After Sakura told him her favourite was Greek, he headed over to the stand to order. One reason why he liked this mall in particular was because it didn't only have American and Japanese food from various regions, but food from around the world. He ordered two gyros and one Greek salad to split, and two bottles of ice cold water, then took it back to their table. Sakura's face lit up at seeing the beef gyros on the tray, and Syaoran mused, so she doesn't mind foreign food. Good.

The meal began in silence, which was fine with Syaoran – after all, it was what he was used to – until Sakura broke it, surprising him.

"So I really don't know anything about you, Syaoran," Sakura smiled shyly up at him. "Mind if I try and get to know you better?"

Syaoran stared at her for a moment, shocked, before slowly grinning and nodded. "Sure, go ahead. Shoot."

"Alright," Sakura beamed. "What do you do for a living?"

Syaoran nearly choked on the mouthful of lettuce, feta, and olives in his mouth. What was he supposed to say to that? He chewed slowly, trying to think. Finally, the food was basically mush in his mouth and he had to swallow. He thought fast.

"I'm...ah...a painter, for a building company," he grumbled the last part, cursing himself for the lameness of his response. Before she could ask what company, he decided to play along. "What do you do?"

Sakura blushed slightly and smiled nervously. "Actually, I'm the CEO of Kinomoto Building&Design..."

Syaoran had to swallow a harsh laugh wanting to pop out and tried to act shocked. "You're _that _Kinomoto? Really? I never would have guessed...I thought a man ran that company, sorry – didn't mean that as sexual – "

"No no, you're right. It should be," she sighed somewhat sadly, catching Syaoran off guard. He only said the last part because it had always bugged him that a woman was running his rival company. But now...He fought the urge to reach across and squeeze her hand.

"Um, why isn't it so, then?" Syaoran asked, hating how he sounded so awkward.

She sighed and began poking at her side of the salad. "My father, the previous CEO, was on a missions trip to build a school house. He went on one every six months, so it wasn't a big to-do. But there was a sudden earthquake, and the warning didn't get to them in time. He was killed, trying to evacuate a building of orphaned children. After that, my older brother was supposed to take over – since one, he's a boy; and two, he's the oldest – but he kind of abandoned me. He hated the idea of running the company, and hated the idea even more of having to drop out of university to take over. He was going to become an athletic coach. Daddy was alright with him going to school, so long as he took over the company when the time came; he figured there was no point in holding Touya back from what he wanted.

"But," Sakura's voice softened. "He had never been interested in Daddy's grooming of him to take over, and when Dad died, Touya refused to come home. He said he'd disown himself if he had to, just so he wouldn't have to take over. So if I didn't take over, our company would have gone to another, and all my father's and grandfather's hard work would have been wasted." She paused and looked up with slightly haunted eyes; Syaoran looked into them, surprised. "I'm sure you've heard of Li Building Corp?"

Syaoran stiffened. He looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. "Ah, yeah...I've...heard...of them..."

"They would have taken over my company," she whispered, making Syaoran's head snap toward her. He should have expected that, but he didn't expect her to sound so sad over it. "So, I took over. I was eighteen, so I was old enough...The board gave me a year to be groomed properly, as I didn't know much about the company, and it was given to me. I haven't seen my brother Touya since then, for three years now."

Silence stretched between them for a minute before Sakura laughed nervously, making Syaoran's heart actually hurt. But why? He didn't understand this pain.

"I'm sorry," she laughed nervously, the sound shaky. "That probably bored you – "

"It's fine," Syaoran quickly cut her off, not understanding his actions. But when she finally looked up at him, her eyes glazed over with memories, he felt his heart stop. And not for a happy reason. It...ached. And it confused him. He offered her a small smile and stood up, grabbing the tray. "But I think I'm done with lunch. You?"

Sakura returned a shaky smile and nodded, standing. She grabbed her half eaten gyro and finished it quickly as Syaoran disposed of the small amount of salad left over. Without a second thought, he reached for her when she stood up and wrapped a protective arm around her tiny waist.

**x.X.x**

By the time Syaoran drove Sakura home, it was nearing a late dinner time. He parked as close to her door as the driveway allowed, then jumped out to help her carry in her numerous bags. He was both surprised and disappointed that she had paid for all of her stuff, for some reason. Then again, she probably figured that she was the wealthier of the two of them... Hm.

Sakura unlocked the door and it swung open. She led Syaoran to the living room, which seemed to have been finished as they were gone. The floors were a dark wood now, the walls painted an olive safari green. The couches were white leather, the coffee table glass with faux bamboo on each corner to hold it together. She had African paintings around the room and a large fish tank in the corner. It was very...welcoming. Warm. Like her home office.

"You can just set them by the couch and I'll bring them upstairs," Sakura smiled back to him, dropping the bags she carried in the place she had indicated. When he did, they turned to each other. Sakura looked down, shifting uncomfortably, "I know it's late, but do you want to stay for dinner? Or perhaps just for a drink of some sorts?"

"I'm not hungry," he told her, frowning when he saw her face fall. He wanted to see her smile again, just as she had all day – well, except for at lunch, of course. "But, I can stay for a drink I suppose. Do you have coffee on hand?"

Sakura grinned and nodded, "Yeah, I'll put on the kettle. Feel free to turn on the TV while I'm gone."

Syaoran nodded and watched her leave, then headed deeper into the living room. Nervously, he sat on the couch and reached for the remote to click on the large flat screen TV. He turned to the news; something was on about some celebrity giving birth to twins.

It was a few minutes when Sakura returned, taking a seat close by him on the couch. She handed him the mug of black coffee, then sat back and began sipping at her own.

Sakura frowned at the TV, her grip on the mug tensing. She turned to Syaoran nervously, "Umm...Do you mind if I change the channel? I don't really...I can't watch the news. Not since my father..."

He nodded as if in understanding, though he really didn't, and handed her the remote. He mentally rolled his eyes when she turned to MuchMusic. At this time, they were showing music videos. He laughed as Sakura squealed, watching the TV with dancing eyes.

"I love this song!" She squealed. When she heard Syaoran laugh, she stiffened and looked over, blushing. "Umm, have you heard it before?"

Syaoran shook his head, "No, I tend to stay away from pop culture."

Sakura frowned, but nodded as her eyes went back to the screen. Softly, she began to sing, making Syaoran's ears perk up. She was obviously trying to be quiet, trying to keep the sound to herself, but Syaoran had always had excellent hearing. He tuned out the TV and listened to her, mesmerized by her soft voice.

"_Try a little more, little more, little more,_" she sang softly, "_they slap you like a bitch, and you take it like a whore..._"

Syaoran felt himself tense, his dick hardening with her voice. Holy crap! He listened for a bit more before realizing that the song was about sex. And her voice was turning so alluring, even if she didn't mean for it to. Mesmerized, he slowly shifted closer to her and softly ran his fingertips over her exposed arm. She stiffened and shuddered, her voice wavering in surprise as she looked to catch his gaze. Without warning, Syaoran leaned forward and smashed his lips to hers.

His lips immediately began moving hungrily against hers, his one hand coming up to cup her face while the other grabbed her hip to turn her toward him. He could feel that she was frozen, motionless, against him but couldn't pull away. After a moment, her lips began moving nervously over his, her hands coming up to grab a clump of his hair. She gave a gentle tug and he moaned into her mouth, squeezing her hip. She whimpered, though not from pain.

Then he felt her hands on his shirt; he raised his arms to help her get it off – a task made difficult by the desperate way in which they were kissing. He slid his tongue into her mouth and explored her; she tasted like coffee and mint, and when her hands spread across his chest, he growled, pleased.

Sakura shifted herself toward him as Syaoran moved forward, gently pushing her down onto the cushions of the couch as he situated himself between her legs. The hand cupping her face slid down, across her collarbone and down to her breast. He gave it a hungry squeeze, making her whimper again and then moan loudly into his mouth. He pushed his arousal into her hot panty covered core, latching his mouth onto the side of her neck, sucking fiercely. He wanted her; he didn't care much about looking at her at this point, he just wanted to sate the arousal that had plagued him all day.

His hand left her breast and ran down her side to the hem of her dress, which had pooled around her waist. He pushed it up, using the hand he had on her hip to go to the back of her neck and undo the halter. He pushed the dress up and removed it, tossing it blindly onto the floor.

 Syaoran pulled back his mouth to gaze at her, feeling himself harden painfully at the sight of her white lacy bra. Her chest was heaving in and out, rising and falling rhythmically. He growled, his eyes full and dark of lust, and he pulled down both bra straps to expose her breasts. He was so overtaken by his lust, he wasn't even seeing her body; he ground his erection into her panty-covered mound and dove in to begin kissing the sides of her breast. His hand crept up, moving inside her bra to squeeze her breast. She gasped, and he smiled against her skin; now he had her where he wanted her, and he was moving a hand to open his jeans and relieve the pressure there by burying himself into her, to the hilt. He decided he would just fuck her as fast as he could the first time, then he could slow down and make love for the second round; he could explore her body then. Right now all he wanted was to be pounding into her, hard and fast, and then finally, coming at last.

Soon his jeans were open and his boxers were rubbing against her panties. Now this felt like it was going to be good sex; Syaoran wanted Sakura very, very badly and was already imagining what it would be like to be inside her; he latched onto a nipple and sucked hard on it as he reached to rip off her panties.

Not a second later, he was on the floor rubbing the back of his head after it had received a glancing blow from the coffee table. He winced at the throbbing pain, both in his head and groin, and looked up angrily to find out what the hell was wrong. He saw Sakura cowering in the corner of the couch, her eyes wide as she stared at him, her hands covering her breasts, her breath hitching. Her whole body seemed to be trembling, and before he could ask her why the fuck she had pushed him off, tears began to fall from her emerald eyes. And suddenly he recognized the emotion in her wide eyes – fear. She was...afraid of him?

"Sa – "

"Please l-leave," her voice trembled as she wrapped her arms around her exposed chest, trying to hide herself. When Syaoran stood – ignoring the spinning sensation that came with the action– and took a step toward her, she practically screamed at him, "LEAVE! Get out!" Her tears were flowing freely now, and she was shaking very hard.

Syaoran watched her for a moment, before grabbing his discarded shirt off the floor and leaving, both confused and angered by her actions.

**x.X.x**

As soon as Sakura heard Syaoran leave, she buried her face into her knees and wept almost hysterically, her body trembling in fright. What were these new emotions she felt – lust, perhaps? But she had felt lust before; hence her journal entries. Yet she had never felt _this_ before, and it scared her. She had never let a man take advantage of her, and she could hardly call that 'taking advantage' when she had happily joined in; my God was that her who had ripped his shirt off and explored and kissed his chest like a hungry woman? But...why...had she joined in? She was about to throw away her purity as if it were nothing! Nothing, after she had kept it for so many years. It wasn't right! These emotions weren't right!

She sat on the couch in the same position, clad in merely her panties, for a good two hours, her tears finally slowing down into soft sobs.

_What was wrong with her?_

She was scared of this feeling, and frightened of the small voice inside her head telling her never to see Syaoran Sugiyama again. Anyone who could make her want to just throw her virginity away in exchange for his touch – Sakura shuddered; she could feel the wetness where it had pooled between her legs, and then she began to see images of Syaoran above her, Syaoran kissing her, Syaoran…everywhere. Dear Lord she had wanted him to take her; to her shame she vaguely remembered whispering something along those lines into his ear – that was when he had reached for her panties.

But she wanted him! A part of Sakura had wanted to stop him when he left; she couldn't blame him for the disgusted look he'd given her when she stopped him. Tomoyo would say that was teasing – and that wasn't nice.

But she had wanted him! Was it teasing if she really had wanted to kiss and touch him? Was it wrong to feel so drawn to a man, the only one who had ever elicited such reactions from her – and on the first date, to boot?

Oh God she still wanted him; she had been so excited when he'd begun grinding his erection into her core; he was hard and, if she'd felt it right, big and lusciously thick. He was a skilled lover; even if he was clearly in a rush, he'd still aroused her beyond belief. What would he be like then if he took it slow? What else could he do to her, make her feel? It didn't help that he was a nice guy; he seemed rough around the edges but he – and Sakura opened her eyes wide – had been just like the Syaoran she'd written about in her fantasy, if at the beginning. Oh no. She liked him, but was afraid of him.

Oh yes; he was definitely trouble at a time when she didn't need it.

* * *

**Authors Notes: ALRIGHT!!! Rika-chan takes COMPLETE and total blame for the lack of an update (yes, yes...bad, horrible Rika-chan -.-) I was hoping to post this the same time as my next chapter to "Ichidou", but that ended up being a total bust -- I'm completely STUCK! I mean, I know where this chapter is heading...But I don't like how it comes out. I've started that chapter three times now; so anyone reading "Ichidou"...I'm aiming for an update by this weekend, but no promises. Gomen gomen!**

**But Mei-chan had this DONE, like, a week ago...So yes, total blame lies in me. Gomen nasai, mina-sama!**

**Next...OH MY SYAORAN! The reviews that flew in for the last chapter were...Lord, phenomenal!! Nearly thirty! Rika-chan's been bug-eyed since realizing just how big the response was last time XD so thank you all SOOOOO MUCH! ^.- and please keep 'em coming in! We're loving them (ugh, that sounded like a horrible commercial -.-)**

**(Please read the short notice following)**

**In the meantime....OHMYGOD! If you haven't read Meiling-chan's newest story (under 'swallowingtears'...link on my profile) YOU HAVE TO! Like, go NOW and read it! NOW! Not even funny! It's called "Accidental Playboy":** _What's Syaoran Li to do when everyone thinks he's a playboy sex god—and he's quite the virgin, still blushing every time the girl he really loves, Sakura Kinomoto, comes near him? Say yes when she asks him for a very sexy favor, that's what._

**Go read it...Syaoran-kun is...AWW! SO KAWAII!! Just WAY too adorable in this! XDD Total opposite to this LOL**

**Please leave a review ^.- They're almost as good as Syaoran having Sakura's fantasies in his pocket! ...Almost XD**

**xox...Meiling and Rika**

* * *

**_And now...A note from Rika: _**

**(Sorry guys, this is a HUGE apology)**

**If any of you follow me on LiveJournal, you will know of what this entails. If so, feel free to ignore.**

**For the next two weeks, there will be NO UPDATES for anything under 'butterflyKISSU' (except for the chapter of Ichidou coming). Once Ichidou is updated, as the original plan was for a chapter to each story before my break, there will be nothing for the following two weeks. **

**For one, there is just way too much stuff going on at home at the moment. VERRRRY long story short, we're looking for a new home and so that's using up time, along with my new (and first! YAY!) job, and some personal issues continuously. Basically, I hate feeling like I'm letting you guys down when I don't update, because I simply don't have the time and I can't stretch myself much farther. **

**TWO! (and the most important) -- _I'M GETTING PUBLISHED!!! _And I'm very excited ^.^ As you can tell, LOL. One of my best girl's grandmother has connections to a publishing company, and has offered to get me published. I got a fresh idea a few weeks back and acted on it, and she's told me to write until it's done. As of now, it's about one third done, and I WANT to have it done by the end of the summer. If I can do this, it will be published by the end of this year; before I graduate at the latest. Therefore, I need to use ALL my writing time to focus on this -- no distractions. Meaning, I can't focus on FF and this novel.**

**Make sense? ^.^ **

**Sorry for the long message...Shall see you all in a few weeks!! ^.^**

**xox, Rika**


	5. NOTICE! A note from Rika

**!!NOTICE!!  
_(A message from Rika-chan)_**

I know we have not updated for MONTHS now, like, since the summer...But sometimes,  
real life just gets in the way U_U First it was my fault, because I wanted to get  
my book finished (which is STILL not finished -.-' because of family  
crap)...Then I was moving and had no internet for a month or so...And now, Mei-chan  
has a LOT of crap going on in her life. So I don't know when we'll be able  
to update again U_U Hopefully soon...but please understand.

I cannot share what's going on with Mei-chan, just please keep her  
in her thoughts as she and her family go through this rough time.  
Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, and she definitely  
needs it.

We'll update WHEN we can, but right now...Both of us, particularly  
Mei-chan, have a lot on our plates and we can't write properly  
nor keep in contact with each other.

Sorry for the delay, and please keep this story on alert! We've not given  
up on it yet!!

Much thanks and love,  
_Rika-chan_


	6. Chapter 5: Comforting Cocoa

**Maneuver:  
**_Chapter Five – Comforting Cocoa_

_

* * *

_

It had been three days since Sakura and Syaoran's 'incident', as Sakura had taken to mentally calling it. And she hadn't done anything – hadn't tried to phone him, text him, or anything of the sort. But she had received dozens of communications from Syaoran, including two answering machine or voicemail messages a day on her work phone, cell phone, and home phone, frequent apologetic and thoughtful text messages –_I apologise if I frightened you. I can only hope you will give me a chance to show you how sorry I am._ – and a single long-stemmed rose that she found on her desk at work the morning after the 'incident'.

Her secretary, Chiharu, thought it was adorable, thinking Sakura had a secret admirer. Sakura, however, didn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, she found her heart skipping a beat because he wasn't just letting her go...Yet on the other hand, she was freaked and irritated since they had only just met; there was no way he could be that attached to her so soon into the relationship–if you could call it that after only one date and a few run-ins.

And even with these churning emotions, she couldn't bring herself to delete a single message or text, or throw out the rose. The rose itself was sitting in a little red vase filled with sugar water on her desk at home, along with the tiny card he had sent with it, a few simple words – _Please give me a chance to prove how sorry I am, Sakura. I can't lose you. _– on it in his bold, flowing script.

And yet, even with all this, she couldn't bring herself to call him or contact him in any way. The emotions that had been stirred by the past few days frightened her beyond words. Why did she feel so strongly about him, and why was she so muddle-headed (just like when she was a child, come to think of it) when she had fought her way to level-headedness?

Perhaps it was the fact that, after keeping her virginity card close to her chest for so long, and learning, to her horror, that despite her resolve she had to only give it away when the right time came, she was ready to throw her innocence away as if it were nothing to a man she barely knew? The fact that she let such emotions and hormones control and take over her like that, so quickly, frightened her.

And the sex—Sakura breathed deeply, trying to control her turbulent emotions. She knew it would not have been the lovemaking she had always wanted and dreamed of. It would have been fucking: fast, rough, and lustful. Everything she had been hoping wouldn't be part of her first time, at least. She thought, shouldn't a girl's first time be sweet and romantic? Shouldn't her virginity be taken by someone she loves deeply?

_Yeah right,_ a voice in her head taunted. _You even wrote about losing your virginity to him in a violent way. __**Duh**__._

Yet there was an odd..._pull_...she felt toward Syaoran Sugiyama. Like she always wanted him – not sexually, necessarily (though she definitely was aroused around him), but just the need to be close to him and be in his presence. Her heart would begin to beat faster around him, and his wonderful scent drove her senses insane. His eyes; she could lose herself in them forever if she could, and all she wanted to do was fist his hair in her hands and pull him into a deep kiss, to feel his firm lips against hers.

She didn't understand it.

But, of course, she hadn't told Tomoyo any of this. In fact, she hadn't seen Tomoyo since going to Sweet Fire the night before she and Syaoran went on that shopping trip. Of course, Sakura didn't really worry much. Tomoyo was probably just busy with work and her boy toys; her best friend and cousin disappearing for a few days at a time – though it wasn't frequent – wasn't unusual. Though she was slightly curious as to why Tomoyo hadn't called to drag Sakura to _Arrow_, their Thursday night club. And tonight, they were supposed to go to _llusion _again, though Sakura doubted she would go.

Still, Tomoyo's no-show didn't really bother Sakura. She still didn't know how she would tell her friend about the new wardrobe that consisted of next to nothing from Tomoyo's company. There was also the fact that telling her about her "date" and subsequent "mess" with Syaoran would cause Tomoyo to go into a fangirl-ish frenzy, which Sakura just could not deal with at the moment.

Sakura sighed as all these thoughts and worries circulated through her mind, as she looked over some new plans a contractor had given her earlier in the day. She was wearing one of the new suits she and Syaoran had bought: black pin-striped pants, a forest-green blouse, and a matching jacket, along with a comfortable pair of black flats – while working at her computer when her work phone went off.

"Good afternoon, Sakura Kinomoto speaking," she said professionally.

"Sakura," Chiharu said, exasperated. "Mr. Sugiyama is on line two..._again_. Should I let him ring through, or say that you're out?

Sakura sighed, doodling on the page in front of her absentmindedly. "Uhmmm....Can you take a message down for me? I'm going out for lunch right now.

Chiharu sighed on the other line, "Sakura, you're going to have to face him soon – "

"Oops, someone's calling in my cell, Chi," Sakura cut off, lying through her teeth. "Thanks a ton! Bye!"

She quickly hung up the phone and sighed, leaning back in her chair for a moment before standing up to grab her coat and rushing out of her office and then the building.

She needed to think, and to do that, she decided to head over to her favourite cafe.

In what felt like a moment, she was sitting at one of the chairs.

"Here Sakura," Seiji smiled at her as he placed a mug down in front of her. "Your cocoa, with extra cream."

Sakura smiled to him and thanked him, then picked up her mug to take a sip. Hot cocoa had always been what she turned to whenever she was upset or confused. It was comforting and relaxing all at the same time, and had been her favourite since she was a small child.

The rich cream and chocolate did its job, calming Sakura and giving her something to do that took her mind off Syaoran Sugiyama. She used her teaspoon to swirl the cream and the chocolate together, creating a light frothy confection that settled her frayed nerves.

Damn it, why did she have to be so afraid of him anyway?

Because I barely know him, she answered herself.

_Then find out!_ A voice in her head scolded.

She shook her head as she lazily sipped the soothing drink. _I've been wrong-footed because I can't see past this stupid attraction. So let's go find out more about this — sexy mystery man_. Sakura smiled, her resolve strengthened by her simple break.

With that decision, she drank the last dregs of chocolatey goodness in her mug and headed back to her office.

From a car with heavily tinted windows, someone watched her leave, and he resisted the urge to follow her and grab her to force her to say something, anything to him. But he knew it would be self-defeating, and so he retired to his home to plan out a new strategy — and perhaps, if Sakura didn't come around soon, find some other candidate.

_But she's THE Kinomoto heir! _A voice hissed angrily at the idea of finding someone else_. You can take the company, turn it into Li. Take it from her! Take it __**all**__!_

_But..._ A smaller, quieter voice began, only to be drowned out by the angry hiss.

Cursing, Syaoran started the car once more and drove away unnoticed. He was surprised at how much the thought of finding someone else infuriated him.

**x.X.x**

Sakura sat at her computer, quickly opening the search engine she used and typed in **SYAORAN SUGIYAMA**. Because of her status and connections, she knew she could easily type in anyone's name into a special search program in her computer, and what was practically their life story would show up. It had been a gift from a college friend who had helped Tomoyo with a stalker; when Sakura had saved that friend, Naoko Yanisagawa, from financial ruin by helping her get hired as a programmer at a big software company, Naoko had taught her how to use the program, which was configured to bypass a lot of things Sakura didn't clearly understand — and had a nagging feeling was somewhat illegal.

But it was useful. Though usually, she hated the thought of invading someone's privacy, she knew nothing about this man whom she had almost given up her innocence to...And if she was going to give him a chance, she wanted to make sure he wasn't some sort of stalker, rapist, or criminal. And really, how common could the name 'Syaoran' be?

However, the Syaoran she knew didn't show up at all. The only page that came up in the search was some newspaper article written five years ago, about a man in his late seventies named Syaoran Sugiyama who had donated a vast amount of money to the hospital where his daughter had died a few weeks earlier. The picture showed the older man smiling sadly, holding a picture of his daughter.

Sakura felt panic rise inside her. _Why did he give me a false name? What is he trying to hide?_

Before she had time to attempt anything else, however, a heavy knock sounded on her door. She jumped, slightly startled, and let out a shaky breath. "Come in."

The doorknob turned and a man with thinning, greying black hair, eyes dulled in colour with age but still sparkling with life, stepped in. His face was wrinkled, his hands showing small liver-spots. He wore a grey suit and black shirt along with a crisp black tie. Despite his age, he smiled brightly at Sakura, moving like a younger man.

"My dear Sakura," he grinned. "How are you today?"

Sakura smiled back at him, though the small panic still inside her made the smile seem forced. "I'm fine, Uncle Hibiki. Just busy. What's up?"

The man, Hibiki Konoe, wasn't really her uncle, but she had grown to see him in that way. He was her father's most trusted friend, the oldest man on the board. When her father had died and Touya refused to take over, it had been he who had fought the rest of the board to allow Sakura to take over the company. After that, he had been her mentor and teacher, cramming everything there was to know about her forefather's company in a single year.

He walked over and sat in the comfortable chair across Sakura. "I actually have something to discuss with you. Do you have a moment and an ear to lend?"

Sakura smiled. "Of course, Uncle. What is it?"

He tossed her a folder, it landing right in front of her. Frowning slightly with confusion, she opened it to find old fringed documents with an old stamp, with a fancy pattern of a sun and moon, the name CLOW stamped around the circled figure. "What's this?" she asked.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura," he gently scolded. "Do you not remember anything I taught you? I was so sure you paid attention..." He picked up the folder, rifling through it until he found what he wanted. He handed a single sheet back to her.

Sakura took it and looked at the yellowing document. It was a birth certificate for someone named Li Xiao Lang. Sakura frowned, looking back at her Uncle with a slightly arched eyebrow.

"I'm sure you at least remember the Li Corp, yes? Well, this is the birth certificate of the next Li heir, and check the date of his birth, young one."

Sakura sighed and read off the date indicated on the crisp page, "July 13th, 1979."

Hibiki's eyes danced. "Exactly, my dear. Their heir turns thirty in a little less than half a year. And do you know what that means?"

Sakura frowned, "Ahhh...no?"

He sighed and shook his head, "Honestly, did you not pay attention to me? I'm sure you remember the history of this company, at least. Or don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," she answered sheepishly, ashamed for forgetting something that apparently seemed so important. "This company was originally owned by a man named Clow Reed about two hundred years ago, but he died before his heir was old enough to be trained and take over. His parents, divorced, wanted to give the company to his step-brother, Jiao Li, since he knew how to run the company, anyway. But his wife, Yuuko Reed – nee Kinomoto, which she and her son went by after his death – wanted to run the company in his name, and train her son herself so he could take over his father's company as it should be. Long story short, they split the company in half, creating _Li Corp. _and _Kinomoto Building&Design_. Uhh..." she paused, "right?"

"Yes," he beamed. "Perfect. But do you remember the agreements put in place between these two companies, to ensure that they would continue to strive to excel?"

Sakura thought for a moment, something nagging atin her memory. "Uhh, something about marriage...And an heir. Sorry, it was a lot to remember. Remind me, please?"

"Not a problem, my dear," he sighed. "The agreement is that the heir must be married by the time he...or she, in your particular case...is thirty, to keep the company. And must produce an heir by the time he...or she...is thirty-five. If they don't comply with this, the other company takes over."

Sakura frowned, thinking the custom was a bit too archaic and silly. "So why are you showing this to me, Uncle?"

He smirked, "Check the date of young Li heir's birth again, dearest. He turns thirty in less than six months...And he's not married. Meaning in six months, my lovely Sakura, **you'll** have control of the Li Corp."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, her jaw slacking slightly. "Are you...Are you kidding me? That contract is so old though! We can't just take it like that – "

"Such a sweetheart, Sakura," he chuckled. "But do me a favour and don't give the board the same argument – they'll see it as the weakness of a woman." Sakura huffed angrily, making him chuckle again and continue. "But yes, that is the plan. The contract is old, Sakura, but it's still a contract. And they know as much as we do that it's still is in effect."

Sakura sighed and looked back down at the birth certificate in her hands, "I suppose...but it still doesn't feel right..." she suddenly paused, her eyes widening as they wandered around the page only to stray on the owner's name. _Xiao Lang Li._

Why did that Chinese name sound familiar? She let the name roll over through her mind a few more times, frowning slightly.

"Sakura?" Hibiki cut off her train of thought.

Sakura's head shot up, "Uh, sorry. Right. Umm...I'll keep this in mind, thanks." She pretended to look at the clock, "Shoot, sorry Uncle...I need to finish going through the overview for the Blossoms Hotel renovation."

"Of course, of course," he smiled, looking just like a proud father. He stood up, leaving the folder on Sakura's desk, "I'll just leave this with you. Be sure to study it, my dear. Are you still coming for dinner next Sunday? Kiyo is missing you."

Sakura smiled at the thought of Hibiki's wife, the woman who had taken her under her wing for the first year after her father's death and acted like a second mother to her. "Of course. Next Sunday, five o'clock...I'll be there, and tell Kiyo I _am _helping with dinner, no matter what she says. And I'll bring dessert with me, okay?"

He chuckled, "Good luck then, Sakura. You know as well as I do that it's _her _kitchen."

Sakura laughed, "I'll find a way. See you later then, Uncle."

"I bet you will." Hibiki chuckled once more, shaking his head as he left.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Sakura quickly typed in _Xiao Lang Li _in herspecialsearch engine.

"Xiao Lang: Alternate spelling of "Syaoran," name of the heir to Li Corp., adapted only for Japanese use. Pinyin however spells it as 'Shaoran' but family spells it as 'Syaoran'. No other 'Syaorans' are known to exist." a window warned.

There were a few pages of Syaoran that came up. He seemed to value his privacy, and had never been photographed full on — but she would. She clicked the first one, and it was from a magazine high society gossip magazine. The article was titled "Rich and Raving Hot: Asian Men You Want to Hook!" Sakura frowned; it was a sensational article, and the photo accompanying it showed a tall, handsome man getting out of a limousine. He wore an expensive suit and a crooked grin; he was dragging his fingers through his sexy, unruly hair and guiding a little girl, identified as the daughter of a sister, to the front steps of a large house.

Sakura's breath caught; it was definitely _**her**_ Syaoran.

"No. Not mine," she scolded herself, tingeing pink. _Just the man I was with shopping three days ago._

So he **had** been hiding something, and Sakura had to stop herself from throwing her head back and laughing bitterly. So this _Syaoran Li _had been trying to seduce her since their first run-in...

And something told her that run-in–and the rest of their encounters, for that matter – weren't accidental or coincidental. They had to have been planned, and he had to have known what he was doing. He had six months until his company was taken from him, so what better way to go than to seduce—no, snag his rival? Or perhaps try to woo her so he could get her company. It was disgustingly brilliant.

A voice in her mind was telling her to continue to ignore this Syaoran person, not respond to any of his texts or phone messages. He was probably just desperate, panicking that he had lost his chance to land the Kinomoto's company. The voice was telling her to forget their short time together and pretend it never happened, to continue on with her life and ignore this little blip.

And yet another voice...

Maybe she _wanted _this, _wanted _Syaoran Li. Now that she knew who he was, she was sure she could be careful. She could play him like a harp, and mess around with him a bit. Lead him on a bit. Perhaps...

No, she shook her head. There was no way he'd fall in love with her, the way she had been falling for him. Not with his motivations. But, perhaps...Just maybe...she could teach him a lesson. Someone play with his heart for a bit.

And hell, if he was going to use her to his advantage...She was going to use him, too.

_You want him. He's the only one your body has responded to. You need him; he makes you feel alive. You've never wanted anyone this way. Think, Sakura…he wants to be used, he's offering himself to you. Why not take advantage, for once? Play using your own rules. Enjoy yourself — on your terms._

_Make him want you. Then you decide what you want to do. _

Maybe Tomoyo _was _right; maybe she did need to 'get laid'. Maybe she was sick of being the innocent virgin. She knew she should have waited for love, and for the feelings to be returned...Preferably, wait for marriage...But she couldn't deny that Syaoran Li brought forth emotions she didn't know she could feel. Make her wanting and lustful and stir the animal within her.

Yes, she decided resolutely. At twenty-one, she was tired of her innocence. It was time to lose it.

And now, she had the perfect person to do it with.

**x.X.x**

As soon as Sakura got home that night, she grabbed the phone and dialled the number Syaoran had given her. It rang several times, then went to an answering machine. The machine had no personal message, but a mechanical voice that gave no name. It simply told her the phone number of the person she had reached, then beeped, indicating for her to speak. Sakura smiled; he really was cautious about his public identity. Well, he doesn't have to know that I know. Knowing what she did made her feel powerful though.

_You'll never know what hit you, Syaoran, or should I say, _Syaoran, Li, she thought.

_This is it... _She thought, taking a deep breath.

"Syaoran, hey!" She said, trying to sound happy. "I'm...ah, sorry...for not getting back to you earlier. I was wondering if we could start over? I'm going to Bubble Cafe tomorrow morning before work, seven-thirty. Feel free to meet me there."

And with that, she hung up.

Then she went to her office and opened her computer to write her latest fantasy, the one that had been plaguing her all day through work. She hadn't been on to write anything since her fantasy about Syaoran the first night she had seen him.

However, when she turned on her computer, she was met with a single pop-up flashing on the screen.

_Download complete._

(To be continued)

* * *

**Authors Notice: YES! We ARE alive!!!! Praise praise, we know. Took ages for this chapter, but the next is basically finito and so Rika-chan shall be sending it to Mei-chan sometime this week. We deeply apologize for our lack of updates, but as said in the previous message -- it just seems that once one of our lives begins to get better, the other gets crap in their lives. **

**This chapter is, by far, not our best...But it's what we could come up with XP Next chapters shall be better ^.^**

**Thanks to _Sykilik101 _for giving this an overlook and editing quickly, for without him dear Sakura would be making a sandy hot place instead of a sweet yummy treat XD Whoops...LOL**

**xox...Meiling and Rika  
**

_Rika: Think we should let them see Syaoran's reactions to what's on his USB next chapter, Mei-chan?_

_Meiling: Oh, I don't know... *teasing grin* Should we?_


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